New Devils goal song sounds way too much like the Rangers goal song

Another new goal song.

While I am certainly glad it’s not Gary Glitter (get over yourselves, anyone who cannot stand that song was taken away), and while this song is pretty cool (produced by a Devils fan), it is way too similar to the Rangers goal song.

But you judge for yourself. Here is is.

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Sharing a photo — Prudential Center panorama

This photo is the background image for the Devils’ PR website. Just wanted to share it here — it gives a great overview of the Prudential Center from high above near the rafters.

Photo from Devils’ ‘Paint and Skate’ event

New feature: ‘Five Things We Learned From Last Night’s Game’

Welcome to a new feature on NJDevsBlog.com — “Five Things We Learned in Last Night’s Game.” We hope to include this on the site after each game for the rest of the season. With that in mind, we begin.

1) Cory Schneider, as a good as he can be and often was last season, is prone to letting up the occasional soft goal. In fairness, Vancouver’s goal that tied the game at 2 from Daniel Sedin at 12:37 of the second period did find the most miniscule space open between Schneider’s pads and the ice — but that’s a shot he saves 99 of 100 times.

2) Attendance at the Rock on weeknights is going to be awful this season. Last year, the Devils were coming off their improbably run to the Finals. The lockout had everyone longing for hockey. But this year’s quite different, coming off a non-playoff year — and starting the 2013-14 season off with 1 win in 10 games. Only 13,203 were at the Rock on a Thursday night with one of the league’s better teams in Newark. Imagine what happens when lesser teams are here on a Tuesday?

3) Peter DeBoer has to be feeling the pressure. A Bleacher Report story lists him as the second-most likely coach to be fired in-season.

Could Peter DeBoer be the next NHL coach to be fired?

4) The Devils have been in four shootouts this year — with three players shooting in each. Not one has scored a goal in said shootout. Remember not too long ago when a Devils shootout was almost a guaranteed extra point? No more.

5) Eric Gelinas was sparky last night, scoring his for NHL goal to give the Devils a 2-1 lead in the first period. He’s a keeper as far as I am concerned. He appeared to be one of the few out there who actually enjoyed being on the ice.

5B) Tell me it wasn’t the slightest bit weird to see John Tortorella behind the bench for Vancouver? I will admit it — I was hoping there’d be occasion for another shout fest between him and Pete. For all of you who say our coach is too passive, remember when the two of them nearly threw benches at each other? 

This guy could be coaching Mites on Ice and I’d still detest him.

2 of 8 home openers last night weren’t sellouts; Devils Opening Night tickets still available in abundance

There were eight home openers in the NHL on Thursday, Oct. 3, and of them, two weren’t sellouts.

• In Dallas, 16,100 were on hand for the Stars’ opener – 86.9 percent full.

• In St. Louis, 18,851 were on hand for the Blues’ home opener – 98 percent full.

Meanwhile, the Devils open at home tonight at 7 p.m. (MSG, WFAN) against the New York Islanders.  Given how well the team drew last year, I am disappointed by what appears to be a significant number of tickets available for the game tonight.

I am including two images – one from each end of the ice – of available seats for tonight’s game. You’ll notice there are a ton still available in the lower tier — and entirely too many in the uppers for day of game.

Then again, we were under the same scenario on Opening Night last year, and the game would wind up a sellout.

As of now, however, my guess is it won’t be sold out – and if it is, it’s because the team buys the seats themselves.

Once again, the average hockey fan is priced out of most games. The ticket prices are entirely too high for regular-season games. The ticket prices are entirely too high period. We’ll know, however, in just a few hours.

Of course, our ticket partner, TiqIQ has plenty of good seats available, some at or below face value. So if you’re considering going tonight, check out what they’ve got – and you’ll likely score a good deal.

A look at some – of the many – remaining seats for tonight’s game as of 11 a.m.

Despite 18 sellouts, 2013 is second-best attendance in Devils history

The Devils finished the 2013 season with 18 sellouts in 24 home games (3/4 of all games played), good for an average crowd of 17,114. This is nearly 2,000 more per game over last year, and is truly a great feat — and the best in Prudential Center history. But it’s not the Devils’ best overall average. In 1998, the team averaged 17,296 fans per game (which at the time was good for seventh in the league).

‘Rangers Suck, Flyers Swallow!’ and ‘You Suck’ after goals chants are old and tiresome — and it’s time for them to be retired

The Canessa Commentary
By Kevin Canessa Jr.

I’ve been a fan of the New Jersey Devils since 1986. I fell in love with the team after I realized Gary Thorne, whom I’d admired as a Mets broadcaster, was the TV play-by-play voice. It was a strange way to grow to like a team, but it’s really how it happened for me.

I’ve spent years following the team, at home and on the road.

Between 1993 and 1997, when I was away at college in Newport, R.I., I saw more road games than home games — in Boston and in Hartford. I loved the team that much, that I’d often even prefer to see them playing in enemy territory — though games in Hartford and even Boston back then weren’t exactly risky for opposing fans.

Yet as much as I love this team — and will defend it to death — there are some aspects of being a Devils fan I despise — and a lot of it surrounds the home-game experience, the chants and the use of the word “suck” and “swallow.”

I realize I will not be popular with this post, but I couldn’t care less anymore.

I want to say it all started during the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals — Game no. 1 on ABC at the Continental Airlines Arena.

Bob Arsena, then PA announcer, was introducing the Dallas Stars — and it was one of those rare moments where the network actually showed them live.

After each non-starting Star was introduced, the crowd would loudly say “sucks!” after Arsena called their names. In the background, Thorne, doing the game for ABC, could be heard on cue.

“Welcome to New Jersey,” Thorne said, not realizing his mic was live.

Welcome to New Jersey, indeed.

This tradition continues to today.

And a few years ago, some geniuses in the upper tiers decided that when the Devils’ goal song, “Rock and Roll Part II,” (which really, really needs to be replaced) plays, after “Hey!” is screamed, it would be OK to now scream “You Suck!” afterward.

The Prudential Center isn’t the first place this has happened — in fact, it happens in some other arenas for college games, etc. But it’s the only NHL arena where it happens. And it’s downright stupid.

And to make matters even more juvenile, the Devils in-game entertainment staff put on the message boards, “You Rock!” as the song plays after every Devils goal.

It’s as asinine as anything else I’ve ever heard at a hockey game. And it just makes Devils fans look stupid, childish and juvenile.

The team would be much better suited simply changing the goal song, which has, in one form or another, been in place since the 1990-91 season. (It was taken away twice — once in the final season at the Meadowlands and once in the first year at the Rock). Yet it always finds its way back.

And it’s now at an embarrassing point.

But it’s not just this.

Regardless of whom the Devils are playing, at least five — usually more — times a game, the new chant is: “Rangers suck, Flyers swallow!”

I understand the hatred for the Rangers and Flyers. I detest both teams more than anything else I detest in the world — honestly. But the chant is beyond vial. It’s getting old. And again, it makes Devils fans look downright stupid and juvenile.

I could even understand it when it was just “Rangers suck!” But the “Flyers swallow” addition to the chant is even more asinine than the “You suck” after the goal song is played.

Sure. I am nit-picking. But that is what this site is about.

It’s about what happens outside the actual game. It’s about what happens off-ice and elsewhere. It’s about what happens in the stands.

And it’s right there — in the stands — where the time has come to get creative.

And to find something new an innovative.

The old chants, at this point, are just that — tiresome and old. And they make all Devils fans — all of us — look the fool.

Some shots from tonight's debacle (game) v. Boston from Guyer

Our James Guyer is at the game tonight. (Sorry you've had to endure this, James — two short handed goals and a penalty shot to boot, though it was missed). For one of the photos he sent us, the caption was simply "douche." Can you guess which one that was for? Many thanks, James, for sharing the photos. Glad to hear the buffet was good tonight. At least something in that building was.

Here's a look at the NHL Draft '13 logo

It's coming to Newark this summer.

Hard to believe it, but there are just 8 home games left

The headline is telling — there are but eight home games left in the 2012-2013 regular season.

And with that said, the Devils will likely finish off the season with their best home attendance ever.

In looking ahead at the schedule, here's a look, at the present moment, at what the sellout situation should and could be by season's end.

• Saturday v. Florida — only single seats left in the affordable sections (upper tiers) and just a handful of seats in the lower bowl and club sections. Should sell out.

• April 1 v. Islanders — Handful of pairs of seats in the upper tiers, and some in the lower. Should sell out by April 1.

The Rock has been full most of this season. But April may be a different story. Will the Devils continue this streak of unmatched attendance in their history? We'll know soon — just eight games remain.

• April 6 v. Toronto — Decent seats left in all areas, but not enough to be concerned about the game not selling out. It will.

• April 10 v. Boston — Not sure why, but there are tons of seats left for this one. I'd expect a game against Boston would draw well — but as of now, you could practically sit anywhere you'd like. This one may be close — but when all is said and done (it's Boston), it should sell out.

• April 12 v. Ottawa — Seats are available, in big quantities, in many sections for this one — upper and lower bowls. But it's a Friday night game. And by the time April 12 rolls along, I'd expect this to be full, too.

• April 20 v. Florida — It's a month away, but this one looks like it won't come close to selling out. Thousands of good seats are still available. On the other hand, it's a Saturday game — so it's still possible it sells out.

The Devils have drawn quite well to this point, having sold out all but two home games. But the month of April doesn't look all that promising, including this game against the Canadiens on the 23rd. Tickets are available in every section of the arena, including the lower bowl and club sections.

• April 23 v. Montreal — Big quantities of seats are available in every section in the arena for this one. The more I look at these April games (I'm checking on Ticketmaster's website, the more I'm wondering why these tickets are still available given what we've seen already. I mean this game looks to have more than half of the arena's seats still open.

• April 25 v. Pittsburgh — Enormous quantity of seats still available for this one, too. Perhaps the Devils are just doing well now with day-of-game walkups and people getting seats much closer to game day.

Truth is, April looks pretty weak as of now, ticket-sales wise. But these teams are often good draws, several of the games are on weekends — and if the team plays well, perhaps they will, indeed, sell these games out as they have all but twice thus far.

Devils playing at nearly 98-percent capacity

For years, it's all we've ever heard.

You won three Cups, but have your celebrations in parking lots.

You always win, but can't sell out your own building.

Not sure where the next parade will be, but it's pretty damn clear — the fans are showing, and they're showing in big numbers.

Sunday's game against Winnipeg was the Devils' 11th sellout in 13 games (the only non-sellouts were against Tampa — it almost seems scripted).

Through 13 games, the Devils are playing at 97.7-percent capacity with an average crowd of 17,223. Though it's considered 20th in the league (blame capacity for that), the Devils' attendance is better than some teams noted for great attendance, including the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers.

The old adage that the Devils have no fans? You can cross that one off, just like you did with 1994 a year ago. And considering it's a shortened season following a huge lockout, this is great news. And a great testament to our fans.

But fret not, Rangers and Flyers fans — you still have our parking-lot celebrations to make fun of our team over.

For the first time since 1982, home ice really is home ice

NEWARK —

For decades, when the opponent was the Rangers — or, just like tonight, the Flyers — or Penguins, or Bruins and any number of other near-by teams, the home team didn't always have an advantage. For decades, especially when it was the Rangers or Flyers in town, the crowd, at times, would be a sea of blue or orange.

But no more.

For the first time since the Devils moved from Denver to East Rutherford to Newark, this team truly has a home-ice advantage it's never seen before.

While there will be some orange in the crowd tonight, it won't be like it used to be, where literally thousands on hand rooted for the road team.

This is a great testament to the fans of our organization, who have done a magnificent job of making the Prudential Center a place most visitors dread, rather than look forward to.

Now, let's just hope the Devils go out there tonight and give the dopes who hopped on the Turnpike from Exits 3,4 and 5 a reason to never want to make the journey again.

Crowd atmosphere has been incredible with another sellout

NEWARK —

I truly don't ever remember a regular NHL season where the crowds and atmosphere have been this great for our team's home games. For all the jokes, for all the "you've got no fans" comments — it makes it all the more enjoyable. After all these years, it is absolutely sweet.

Great job by the fans.

Fifth sellout in six games — average is now 17,155 — 97 percent capacity.

Could the Devils ACTUALLY sell out the entire season? Steak to hit 14 tonight — and it could continue past that

NEWARK —

The Devils sellout streak is likely to hit 14 Friday when the Washington Capitals come to town for a 7 p.m. ET matchup at the Prudential Center.

The team sold out its final home game last regular season, and all 11 home playoff/Finals games. Opening night was also a sellout.

The Prudential Center will likely be sold out for a Devils game for the 14th-consecutive game on Friday night.  The Rock can be an extremely loud and daunting place to play for opponents when it's filled. And, it looks like the streak could go well beyond 14 games, based on ticket availability on Ticketmaster.

Much to my surprise, I now believe this streak could go well beyond 14 games — and it appears possible the Devils could, for the first time in franchise history, sell out the entire regular season. (The Devils' best year in attendance was 1997-98, when they averaged 17,296 a game — 709,160 total fans — for 7th-best in the entire league).

Why?

I took a look at Ticketmaster's pick your seats for the first half of the regular season. And save for one game against the Islanders — which will probably still do well — there are only limited seats available. Most games against the Rangers, Flyers and Penguins are close to sold out already.

This is absolutely remarkable given the lockout. But it's also an indication as to how far this franchise has come — finally — and a lot of it has to be attributed to last year's amazing run.

We'll update this periodically. But for now, it looks very good, attendance-wise.

Finally.

A few Opening Night photos from our dear friend, Manny Ventoso

NEWARK —

Our dear friend Manny Ventoso Jr. was at Opening Night last night at the Prudential Center. Here are some photos from the Devils' 3-0 shutout win against the Philadelphia Flyers. And, of course, many thanks to Manny for sharing these photos.

Fans in attendance at last night's game
were given this commemorative puck.

First period — opening face-off.

The Devils go up, 1-0, just a little more than a minute into the first period.

Marty in his crease during a stoppage.

The starters lined up for the U.S. and Canadian National Anthems.

Ilya Kovalchuk scores on a penalty shot against Ilya Bryzgalov. The Devils were short-handed
when the shot was called, so it goes down as a short-handed goal.

For the Devils, it's time to retire ... 'Rock and Roll Part II'

It's been played after Devils goals since the 1990-91 season. And it's been played everywhere else, too, it seems, at one point or another, after goals are scored. It's seen good days —and bad days. The man who composed the song, Gary Glitter, has had better days himself, having been accused of sex abuse more than a decade ago.

But "Rock and Roll Part II" is slowly making its way out of most hockey arenas — and it's time for the Devils to do the same.

They gave it a try — twice, actually. Once in the last season in the Meadowlands, and once in the Rock. But for some reason, it always resurfaces.

But the time is now to start fresh. New CBA. New season.

And I hope, a new goal song.

Quite frankly, the "you suck" addition is what has made me want to see the song go away most. That part is just juvenile and stupid.

Some will hate me for this.

Others won't.

I simply think the time has come something new — so long as it doesn't sound like that stupid Nazi-march bite-off thing the Rangers play when they score.

So many things the NHL could do -- but won't -- to win back fans

By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.

Since the lockout began in September, there have been more than enough ideas of how the NHL would have to react in order to "win back" fans who, like many of us, are fed up with the reality that since 1992, the NHL has locked its players out three times and the players struck once. Four labor stoppages in 21 years, an average of about one every five years.

From the fourth league of four leagues. (Some might even suggested the NHL is fifth of five with Major League Soccer making incredible gains in popularity and economically).

Some of the ideas have been wonderful. Others, ridiculous (like having all 30 teams make the playoffs). I thought I'd share a few, the ones I liked the best. And of course, if you've got any in mind -- let us know. Leave comments after this post. We'll feature the best ones in a future post.

So here they are.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun suggests NHL Center Ice and NHL Gamecenter Live (online) be free, all year long, for anyone who wants to watch the NHL. I'm not sure there's a better way to ensure that any hockey fan who wants to see a game can do so by tuning in on TV or logging on to the league's online game site.

As much as I love the New Jersey Devils, there's no way I'd pay the price for access to the games in the package from here in Florida. But I guarantee I'd watch nightly were the games free. And I know, for sure, this would go a long way to ensure the healing process moves along.

• Don't paint the ice with the words "THANK YOU, FANS!" as was done at the start of the 2005-6 season. Thank you for what? Putting up with this utter crap? The words mean nothing. They were empty back then, and would be as empty now.

• Ensure concessions, at games, are priced the way they should be priced. Unfortunately, this would take genius negotiating, as companies like ARAMark are allowed to literally steal from customers by charging $5 for a bottle of soda that would cost $1.25 at QuickChek or Wawa.

In 1995, the Devils charged $1 for every hotdog sold the entire season. Perhaps given inflation, they could charge $1.50 in 2013.

• Offer uncountable ticket discounts -- not just to the general public, but to season-ticket holders, too. Paying $135 for a lower-bowl seat to a regular-season game is absurd as it is. In 1990, lower-tier tickets at the Brendan Byrne Arena cost $24 throughout. Even in 1990 standards, that was relatively cheap. In 2013, no one who wants to go to an NHL game should have to say, "I can't -- the tickets are just too unaffordable."

Not only would this bring the die-hard who otherwise couldn't afford tickets, it would also entice the casual fan who might otherwise say to hell with the NHL.

These are just a few ideas I liked most.

Let's hear yours!

Rock: 3rd-most profitable US arena, 8th-most worldwide

It may only be four years old, but the Prudential Center is already among elite company.

Only Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center grossed more than the Rock did in the last half year, Venue Today magazine announced. Not only that, the Rock is also the 8th-most profitable arena in the world, according to the publication.

Click here to read more.