If Trenton was AHL rather than ECHL,

[NewarkDevil5]

Just curious.

[maxpower]

yes, but only on Devils road trips, if I was still a Devils STH. playoff games, definately

[RSC]

Yeah, I'd go to a few games (which I don't do now). I'd like to see guys who are going to be with the big club one day and are legit prospects, not a bunch of guys who, quite honestly, have little to no chance of making the AHL, let alone the NHL. I'd go just to see what the future holds for NJ.

[NewarkDevil5]

I feel the same way. I just think that when you've got an area thats packed with NHL teams, the only way you get people to be interested in shelling out money to watch hockey is to show them guys that could one day be playing in the NHL. Save the ECHL teams for areas that have no major league hockey at all.

[ThreeCups]

Yeah, I'd go to a few games (which I don't do now). I'd like to see guys who are going to be with the big club one day and are legit prospects, not a bunch of guys who, quite honestly, have little to no chance of making the AHL, let alone the NHL. I'd go just to see what the future holds for NJ.

+1. It is a waste of time to me. I would definitely go if they were AHL, as we would be watching future NEW JERSEY Devils on the ice....

[Vic Rattlehead18]

Not sure if I would go...But I know I'd be more inclined to go since it's much much closer.

[Mike441]

I have been to some...but id go more often

[maxpower]

yeah, the location certainly doesn't help. Albany was doable. Lowell is almost 2 hours from Mohegan Sun, so even if I was up in CT, I still wouldn't want to go

[DevilNurn]

I'd be much more inclined to go, I've never been to one.

[nyrsuck26]

I'd go to 1 or 2 games a year. (Same amount that I go to Trenton Thunder (Yankees AA affiliate).)

Edited February 10, 2010 by nyrsuck26

[devilsfan26]

I'm not sure if I would be the 3rd or 4th choice...I'd be more likely to go, but probably only once or twice a year.

[DevilMinder]

I already go to 1-2 a year it seems, so many friends work for corporate sponsors so we get freebies. But yes, I would definitely go to more games knowing I was seeing future Devils.

[njdevils2003champs]

Yes, I'd go to more games than I do now.

[MantaRay]

Years ago Trenton Titan games were great and exciting. Since the Devils purchased the Titans they have essentially destroyed a very good franchise. By changing the team name they have basically killed the fan base which mostly came from Philly and killed the Titan fan identity.

The games now are empty and uneventful. I just stopped going because of this. I don't see this changing, even with the AHL upgrade.

[titans04]

Years ago Trenton Titan games were great and exciting. Since the Devils purchased the Titans they have essentially destroyed a very good franchise. By changing the team name they have basically killed the fan base which mostly came from Philly and killed the Titan fan identity.

The games now are empty and uneventful. I just stopped going because of this. I don't see this changing, even with the AHL upgrade.

Sums it up perfectly.

[Devil Dan 56]

I'm wondering if the Devils will try to move the Lowell Devils to Albany. Apparently the city still wants a team there, and from what I recall, the only reason the Devils left was because they actually wanted to own their AHL team.

[Deke]

If I was gonna drive that far I'd probably go see a Reading Royals or Hershey Bears game instead.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Deke

[Dr Death]

That would be great, I would love it. The best of the current Devils, plus a look at

future Devils. Being in Central Jersey, I'm equiy distant to both arenas.

[aLowDrudge]

Years ago Trenton Titan games were great and exciting. Since the Devils purchased the Titans they have essentially destroyed a very good franchise. By changing the team name they have basically killed the fan base which mostly came from Philly and killed the Titan fan identity.

The games now are empty and uneventful. I just stopped going because of this. I don't see this changing, even with the AHL upgrade.

+1

It really was a fun time when they were the Titans. Me and my wife had a blast going to the games during the lock out. But it seemed like once they changed hands and became the devils everything changed there. I really do think that a lot of the Philly fans stopped going due to the devils name. Sounds trivial, but I really think the name change killed the team.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

If I lived in New Jersey I would get seasons for Trenton (if it were AHL) and watch the Devils games on TV.

[Devils1985]

+1

It really was a fun time when they were the Titans. Me and my wife had a blast going to the games during the lock out. But it seemed like once they changed hands and became the devils everything changed there. I really do think that a lot of the Philly fans stopped going due to the devils name. Sounds trivial, but I really think the name change killed the team.

+2

With this caveat: As I mentioned in another thread, it's gone way, WAY beyond the name change at this point. It's really become a joke, and not a funny one at that, the way things are being run down here. And....from what I can tell....the problems aren't rooted here in Trenton but much higher up the food chain in Newark. At this point I have no choice but to come to the conclusion that they just don't give a crap about anything down here other than the one or two guys they are gooming for spots in Lowell. Now, ECHL teams are by nature feeders for their AHL affiliates. That's how it works. But most teams, and certainly the successful ones, make an effort to make games entertaining on and off the ice.

All we've seen this year is an accerlation of off ice talent bailing from the org and a significant acceleration of visible empty seats during games.

It really doesn't matter what league the team plays in at this point, it's sad to say but the only way to get some of these people to come back may just be the Devils lack of involvement here. Which really sucks because I was looking forward to this arrangement, I envisioned former Devils who live in the area making appearances (something they said would happen) and all sorts of tie ins. After all, the idea was to "paint the town Devil Red" and expand the brand. They've only suceeded in the opposite.

When a player in the starting lineup either gets his name mispronounced by the incompetent PA announcer or looks up and sees his name MISPELLED on the jumbotron (and in a different font from everyone elses on top of it) it must feel just great. Not to mention guys here for a month and still no picture.

It's freakin' embarrasing. That's all that it is. Would any of this change if they suddenly were an AHL team? I don't know. The better question is, would anyone down here really care at this point? Especially when growing sentiment being that the local front office is NOT the source of the problem. Even Kowalsky is getting a pass with the biggest criticsm being him just being a good soldier.

I must really stress this goes way beyond the on ice product. Sure, it's not been great. But the decay is painfully visible in so many other areas, the on ice product isn't even close to being the biggest problem.

Way to grow the brand, Lou. Way to grow the brand.

How to fix it? At this point it's going to take NHL presence. Well, first, get a competent PA announcer. Then provide the team a real budget so they can advertise and hand out promo goodies to attract the casual fan (bam bam sticks two weeks in a row don't count, sorry). Have former Devils make an appearance, do autographs. If they were REALLY bold, bring in former Flyers. Sorry all, but it would be an acknowlegdment of the reality of the fanbase in the area. But they really need to provide some money down here to attract and keep talent. I'd also reserve a block - a LARGE block - of tickets to be handed out free to, well, anyone, for Opening Night. One of the key problems is these things fester; people come to a game, see 800 people and no atmosphere, and aren't inclined to appear again. Lots of freebies for opening night may change that, and at least get some folks to come back a little bit.

When as a fan you're pimping the fact that it's a breeze to get out of the parking lot after the game, you've got problems.