Thursday, May 03, 2007

 

Good News for Next Season

Need a reason to smile, Devils fans? Yeah, me too. I was reading the daily news and notes Tibbs puts up at Beast of the East and found this exciting article by John Brennan of the Bergen Record. It's too good not to highlight; here's the opening paragraphs that should get you excited.
Empty seats will be scarce -- perhaps non-existent -- when the New Jersey Devils debut at the Prudential Center in Newark this fall, Devils principal owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek said Wednesday.

"Based on the response that I've been seeing, there's a decent chance that we sell out every game," said Vanderbeek, whose team is battling the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup playoffs. "Even my optimistic self has been overwhelmed by the demand for the premium seats."

If team owner Jeff Vanderbeek is this excited, then there's plenty of reason for the rest of the Devils fan base to be happy. For the last few seasons, one of the biggest sources of complaints about the Devils from detractors and critics (also known as "haters") was the Devils poor attendance. If you hang about on a general hockey or sports board, like HFBoards, this usually comes up when discussion about the Devils occur. Laments about how New Jersey doesn't deserve a team as high quality as the Devils or how the Devils' style of play keeps fans from coming to games.

If you're nodding your head at any of the above, than the possibility that the Devils could sell out every game at the Prudential Center should make you smile. As should the possibility of the team turning a profit in the next season. While I'm grateful at the late Dr. John McMullen for purchasing the Colorado Rockies and moving them to the New Jersey Devils, I'm becoming quite fond of Jeff Vanderbeek as the team owner. Moving to their own building in Newark is proving to be a win-win for everyone involved. Except for the NJSEA, but who cares about them?

Comments:
There is one thing from this series that noone seems to be talking about (I did see it mentions once during an espn.com chat). Where has the real Elias been. He has been awful. There is obviously somethign wrong with him related to the reason he sat out game #1.
 
Well, he did assist on the Devils' first goal in Game 4 while taking 8 shots, had one hit, and played 19:31; so he showed up there. Maybe not as much as you would have liked, but a hell of a lot more than, say, Gomez or Parise.

Ditto in Game 2, a Devils win where Elias set up Gionta for his first goal in that 3-2 win, while taking 4 shots on net, 3 hits, and playing 21:39.

Again, you may not be pleased with his production or effort - a criticism I think it more appropriate for the entire team than just Elias - but you must admit he hasn't been invisible except in Game 3 (wherein everyone was invisible).
 
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