HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I just want to warn those Devils fans living outside NJ and the tri-state area in their cirticism of the Devils lack of a attendance as a reflection on the fans. It's easy to criticize from miles away. I've said it before, tonight, and I'll say it again. The only people the current fans and the orgzanization can blame for the lack of attendance is the team itself. It is a FACT this team did very little to market their players and success for all those years they won. They almost never went into the community to sign autographs, host clinics, do each and every little thing they could do to build a fanbase. yea they won. WoopDeeDoo let's mention the outrageous costs of going to the game, and unbalanced ticket pricing structure that creates the "lesser-good" seats going for ridiculous prices. They've never had an alcohol free section for kids, or specially priced for children, very few and far between good promotions. They've never had a promotional third-jersey, they've never retired a number, they've never had ticket/food packages that we see so often. Just compare the NY Rangers or the Philly Flyers. These teams could never market and do well in their own markets. They do EONS above what the Devils do. IT's a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I just hate the stupid rangers sucks chants, we should worry more about our own team than whether or not the rangers "suck" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw61776 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Just compare the NY Rangers or the Philly Flyers. These teams could never market and do well in their own markets. They do EONS above what the Devils do. IT's a shame. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Why can't the Flyers market? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Why can't the Flyers market? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Learn to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Author Share Posted November 9, 2005 Sw, I'm saying the Flyers don't even have to market and they could draw. That's what im saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw61776 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Learn to read. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My bad, no need for the remark. Philly has always been a hockey town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 My bad, no need for the remark.Philly has always been a hockey town. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He was saying the Flyers could do the amount of marketing the Devils have done in their area and still sell out the building every night. Same with the Rangers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I just hate the stupid rangers sucks chants, we should worry more about our own team than whether or not the rangers "suck" <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree 100% with that. Also the Devils really should get their act together sometime. Hopefully by the time they move to Newark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I agree 100% with that. Also the Devils really should get their act together sometime. Hopefully by the time they move to Newark. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I really thought they would pu the full-court press on after the lock-out to do everything possible to get fans to come back, butr they've probably done a worse job of marketing after the lock-out than they did before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 i think they are trying. i see billboards. i see ads on tv and the radio. they've got the street devils going. the big problem is that a lot of their fans are either pretty young (18 and under) or in situation where going to a bunch of games isn't so easy (high ticket prices, transportation, etc.). newark will help in that many people can easily get to the game from work in NYC and other train routes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 i think they are trying. i see billboards. i see ads on tv and the radio. they've got the street devils going. the big problem is that a lot of their fans are either pretty young (18 and under) or in situation where going to a bunch of games isn't so easy (high ticket prices, transportation, etc.). newark will help in that many people can easily get to the game from work in NYC and other train routes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Newark will definately help in the transportation dept. But the Devils still need to integrate themslves in the community better. You hardly ever see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Author Share Posted November 9, 2005 (edited) But those are basic ads that everyone does and the street Devils is not really affialited with the team. I mean get the players out in the community. Have them to autograph sessions at local hockey rinks, Codey Arena, Floyd Hall, Hackensack, Ice Palace on the weekend if they have a free date. Have one or two stick around after games and meet little kids on the weekends. They can do so much more Sundstrom. They really can. We have non-gold-circle season tickets, my family, and there is no reason we should have our own autograph session with the team. I mean come on. EDIT: Before I crash for the night: It's the simple notion. A little goes a long way. Just give people an hour or two of your time. It really goes a long way. Edited November 9, 2005 by HellOnICE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastdevfan Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Well said HOI, kudos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Jester Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 The attendance is a moot point now. Not in the past, but it is now. We're getting a new arena with mass transit. If, five years after it opens, we're still drawing 11,000 for a division rival, then I'd start to worry. <JESTER> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Author Share Posted November 9, 2005 Jester, why is our team not drawing and having a large fan base a moot point with or without a new arena. Our team needs to start doing something, otherwise, Newark is going to be one empty place anyway. There needs to be people to move to Newark, not just start going there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASHER Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 it's a moot point now cause the arena situation is still a massive pain in the ass to get too... and anyone else feel spit on with the massive parking garage stuck right in the middle of the old A Lot ?? I know I too cause my old spot is gone now And this still factors in the reality of how impossible it is to get to that damn arena in Rutherford now.... I'll give a perfect example.... when I was working at the airport I would get off the air train about 5:20-ish or so... I'd be by the arena after 6... my GF however left her house in Parsippany about 5:20 or so... she barely gets there till 6:45... now that is a problem... cause who the hell wants to sit through that hellish traffic on a weeknight (even a Friday night).... least with Newark the Devils will finally have a home city (something I feel is missing from a fan base perspective)... and MASS FREAKING TRANSIT ... but what do I know ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Author Share Posted November 9, 2005 Scott, I partly agree with you. What I'm saying if the Devils tried over hte years and could start now, more pople would be willing to travel despite the pains. A larger fan base, and if the same percentage came to games, attendance would go up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Also people tend to forgot that the Rangers have been around forever, the Islanders have many fans as well in NJ and almost all of South Jersey is Flyers fans. That is a large part of why it's been harder for the Devils to get a large fan base but give it 10 years when the kids of the kids going to the games start bringing their kids when they have them the fan base will even grow larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted November 9, 2005 Author Share Posted November 9, 2005 All of the excuses that I'm seeing doesn't excuse the fact the team never tried their hardest. All of the other fanbases around, whatever it be, maens the Devils should have tried and try harder than anyone else. They have to be the best marketers to get their footprint. This should have been done for the last 20+ years. But yeah Satan's we can wait 'till the young fans start having kids. Being 20, that'l be about 10 years or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diablo Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 My bad, no need for the remark.Philly has always been a hockey town. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You take all those silly orange shirts - I'll take my 3 cups . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Both the Flyers and the Rangers do very well marketing themselves...it also helps that the own their media outlets as well. It also doesn't hurt that they have easy access to their arena via mass transit....it also helps that both NY and Philly are huge media markets, NJ is not a media market....hence NY Giants/NY Jets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdf Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 i think they are trying. i see billboards. i see ads on tv and the radio. they've got the street devils going. the big problem is that a lot of their fans are either pretty young (18 and under) or in situation where going to a bunch of games isn't so easy (high ticket prices, transportation, etc.). newark will help in that many people can easily get to the game from work in NYC and other train routes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> the "pretty young (18 and under)" argument is just too old at this point - years ago it held water, but the team has been here over 20 years now, even those just being born when the devils came to town are entering the workforce now. I admit, problems getting to and from the arena keep me away - not to mention the arena itself and having to park in giants stadium and walk through what used to be a really awful bridge. Now I work in nyc, so, i can either drive to work on game days and pay $40 to keep my car in the city, or do my normal commute in, then take a bus to the meadows, then bus back to the city at 10pm and walk 6 blocks down a deserted 8th avenue at about 10:30 or so hoping to catch one of the last trains out of penn back to jersey and eventually get home around 12:30 - not exactly my idea of a good night out. Ticket prices are ridiculous. In any other business, if your product isn't selling, you lower the price to what the market will pay, but not in devils hockey. Here you keep your price in the top 3 of the league, even though you haven't sold out in years. Food and drink and parking prices are even more stupid - especially when you have a captive audience, it's not like there are sports bars and restaurants anywhere near this place. Reasonably priced concessions would sell more volume. (unfortunately, the devils likely have no say whatsoever in the parking and concessions though, so I can't blame them on those) I don't know if newark will be a great move, but anything has got to be better than the meadows, and, since they have no say in the meadowlands management, hopefully newark can be an improvement in ticket and concessions prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattrick Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I just hate the stupid rangers sucks chants, we should worry more about our own team than whether or not the rangers "suck" <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I hate it too. It's stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 concessions are not the devils call at all. only the merchandise is. and i think the arena and getting there are a huge problem. Tickets can be had for $20 each which really is not that bad at all when you consider that a movie is $10. i see attendance continuing like this until newark. it's not really even worth commenting on because this is how it will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kavbro5 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 I hate it too. It's stupid. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I hate those rangers suck chants too. It was funny the first time I heard it years ago but now it is just plain stupid. What's even worse is how the rangers have been playing compared to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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