Prudential Center Opens Doors For First Devils Hockey Game

Prudential Center Opens Doors For First Devils Hockey Game

Published October 29, 2007

Devils Fans Give Prudential Center Mixed Reviews For First NHL Game

The Devils Saturday played their first game at the Prudential Center in Newark, and “early reviews were raves from fans in the club seats and luxury suites -- but a mixed report from those paying less than $150 per seat,” according to John Brennan of the Bergen RECORD.  Fan Matt Hughes said that there were “long lines for concessions and a delayed entry into the arena -- doors opened at 5:45pm, or 45 minutes later than many fans expected.” Fan Tim Joyce said the arena’s acoustics are “so good that you can actually hear the bells in Hell’s Bells.” But he said that the upper-level seats “aren’t wide enough,” a complaint “repeated by numerous fans of all sizes” (Bergen RECORD, 10/28).  In N.Y., Dave Caldwell notes, “Boos carry well at the Prudential Center, too,” as the Devils lost 4-1 to the Senators (N.Y. TIMES, 10/28).  The arena opened Thursday with a Bon Jovi concert, and in Newark, Brad Parks wrote of the 153 people interviewed following the concert, 149 said that they would be “back for future events.” Only five said that they “didn’t feel safe. The rest praised a law enforcement presence that could have been mistaken for a Fraternal Order of Police convention.” Also, complaints about parking were “few and far between” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 10/27). 

Vanderbeek Says Arena Set Up To Be Best In NHL

EXECUTIVE SUITE: Devils Owner Jeff Vanderbeek said that he was “‘extremely satisfied’ with [Thursday's Bon Jovi] show, which drew 16,132 fans, about 3,400 short of a sellout.” Vanderbeek: “The people who have opened arenas said this was one of the most calm openings from an infrastructure standpoint. I was half-expecting something (bad), but nothing happened” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 10/27). NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who attended the Devils game on Saturday, “gushed about the new building, and agreed with the players that the Devils ‘needed a home.’” Bettman: “Continental [Airlines Arena] was never a great arena, and time hasn’t been kind to it.  It had no identity. It wasn’t intimate like this arena is. It didn’t have the amenities. Fans who come here are going to be staggered by how great this is, not just in comparison, but on its own.”  Senators C Jason Spezza said, “Obviously, they’re still finishing stuff down here (in the locker room) but the actual arena looks really nice. We were pretty impressed.” Senators RW Daniel Alfredsson added, “It was the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in New Jersey.” Some Senators players said that the building was “hot and the ice was not good, but that’s to be expected considering it was the first time the ice was used and the building hosted concerts Thursday and Friday.” Vanderbeek said that the ice will “get better over time.” Vanderbeek: “It’s set up to be the best in the league” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 10/28). Bettman: “It’s spacious; it’s state-of-the-art in terms of the amenities. The back of the house is like nothing else I’ve ever seen. This is going to be a great arena for people who perform here, most notably the Devils players and their foes on a nightly basis." He added, "There isn’t anything that they missed in terms of making this a state-of-the-art, first-class facility” (FSN, 10/27). Bettman said that the Prudential Center would be a “‘great place to hold an All-Star game’ in the future, but he already has a long list of teams who asked to host one and the Devils haven’t done so, yet” (North Jersey HERALD NEWS, 10/28).  In Newark, Dan Graziano wrote there was “a lot that caught the eye” at the Prudential Center (Newark STAR LEDGER, 10/28).

ARENA'S IMPACT: In N.Y., Jay Greenberg wrote under the header, “1st Star Of Game Is Arena.” After G Martin Brodeur, the Devils’ “next-best attraction is now their building, which has loud ambiance, excellent sightlines, a nifty red-and-black motif, and an outside LED board bright enough to light your way to your car or three blocks to the Newark Penn Station.” Vanderbeek said that 75% of the orders for 10 Jon Bon Jovi concerts came from the state of New York. Greenberg: “Better believe a new Garden is on its way, now that [MSG Chair] Jim Dolan has state-of-the-art competition” (N.Y. POST, 10/28). The FINANCIAL TIMES’ Mike Steinberger wondered whether the arena "will give a lasting boost to a city that sorely needs one.” Vanderbeek called the opening a “triumphant day for the people of Newark,” but the city’s residents “are not so sure.” The arena was never put to a public vote, and “many residents would have preferred that the $210[M] … had gone to other, more pressing needs” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 10/28). In N.Y., Kaleta Sanneh notes as of Friday afternoon, tickets to eight of the remaining nine Bon Jovi concerts at the Prudential Center were still available through Ticketmaster. The building “put on a pretty good show” Thursday and the sound was “great, for an arena.” But the “presence of Bon Jovi on opening night only underscored the fact that there aren’t many young bands that can reliably play rooms this big.” The “contrast between the sleek new building and the un-sleek, decidedly un-new band onstage [is] good news for developers, bad news for promoters, mixed news for Newark: it seems arenas have outlived arena rock” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/27).