In Lou We Trust

Given that I went to the game last night, that meant I went to the Rock. As usual, the arena itself was still in its fine form. It was very clean on the concourse. The security was quick and well-staffed (though for a preseason game, there wasn't a lot to go through). The kiosks and food stands had many workers available on the lower concourse. The ushers themselves were, as far as I could tell, hospitable and helpful. The art was still there as was the initial blow-up puck that many signed on opening night. Even though the player banners on the columns outside of the Fire Lounge were out of date (Vitaly Vishnevski and Karel Rachunek were representing). Regardless of the game, I don't see how one could complain about how the arena was looking. Except for the side cupholders in the upper section, I mean.

Should the Devils want to expand their appeal, the Devils will have to keep up their appearance. The Devils control the Rock and how it looks, how they are staffed, and the general atmosphere of the place. This may be obvious to point out, but the person going to their first hockey game shouldn't have their experience soured by There's a reason why stores, theaters, restaurants, businesses, and so forth pay so close attention to appearance. They don't want their customers, their clients, and, their visitors to get the wrong impression of the business or the team or their day or so forth. It seems silly that would have an effect at first glance, but it really doesn't. Can you consider any venture as serious and professional if they aren't organized and clean?

Consider the last few years of the Continental Airlines Arena. Cramped. Not well kept. Terrible security (that's the NJSEA for you). Dirty seats. I could go on. Basically, the arena was showing way past it's age and the upkeep slacked off. Before the game even starts, some people would already be thinking "what a dump" and the Devils, trying to win fans through competitive hockey, are already having to play catch-up. The Devils are doing a great job with The Rock so far, and I just want to highlight that it's important that they keep it that way years from now.

And speaking of keeping up appearances, I notice the Devils Legion now have a Facebook, linked from the official site. You know, Facebook. The social networking site that allows you to control your privacy in that you can show off your ill-advised spray-on tan and poses with the "bros" from a few summers ago to the whole internet. Anyway, the Legion has photos and even some of the videos available through the main site. While this is a good idea to branch outside the Devils' site to reach fans; I think they can go further. Why doesn't someone at the Devils put the videos, vignettes, and highlights the Devils already have on NJD TV on other popular video hosts like Youtube and Dailymotion? Sure, both hosts have their flaws: Youtube's propensity for the worst possible comments for a video and Dailymotion's propensity to have something unrelated and sometimes unwanted be related to the video. Still, the NHL, the Flyers, the Capitals, the Kings, and the Canucks all have accounts on the 'Tube. I don't see a major downside to the Devils joining in. It'll at least get their name out there, have some non-Devils fans check it out, and perhaps some seeds will be planted. It's likely not a big deal in the big scheme of things, but it's something they can do along with airing a spot at the arena to check out NJD TV (which they did during last night's game) for videos.

Of course, it's possible the Devils organization are already working towards this and I'm just in the dark. And if so, my apologies. I just would like to see the Devils keeping up (or making) their appearance in multiple platforms.