Pre-Game Talk: Predict the Crowd & Roll Call 2013-2014

[BenedictGomez]

16555

Only because people bought tickets thinking they could scalp them and are now getting burned.

 

[downtown56]

15,823

 

[Devils Dominion]

16555

Only because people bought tickets thinking they could scalp them and are now getting burned.

You gonna pick one up on SH?
Let me know, maybe meet up for a brew pregame

 

[NJDevs26]

16555

Only because people bought tickets thinking they could scalp them and are now getting burned.

Not if you go by what's available on TM

I'll go with 14,572...lower attendance celing + crapload of TM tickets available + early-season game + highest non-Ranger single-game prices.

 

[Status Quo*]

15,443

 

[CerebralGenesis]

I'll be at this bad boy

 

[Lou's Koolaid]

Announced at 13,705.

 

[SeidoN]

Minny will be packed house for guaranteed win

 

[NJDevs26]

Good thing I waited till the end to guess, so I was the closest...but we all went over

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Some fans are afraid of selling tickets on StubHub due to the broker repercussions. Also I imagine some brokers won't list games that aren't going to sell for fear of paying the $5 fee and taking a bigger loss. I'm sure that adds up too right?

I saw about 350 tickets left on StubHub before I left for the game. I figured that meant a sure-fire sellout. Far from it.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

At the rate there going they'll be lucky to get 12.5K for the Nashville game next Sunday. Woah, a Sunday nighter against a Western team that no one gives a crap about, while our own team stinks. That has the recipe for something REAL low.

 

[Status Quo*]

Yeah, there was more than 13,700 at this game. I don't know where they're pulling these numbers from but 16,500+ for the Rags and the season opener are BS too. There was about 15,000+ there tonight.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah I didn't actually think the attendance was that low...maybe there were some underground giveaways that they didn't count. God knows they haven't exactly gone out of their way to throw around discounts publicly.

 

[Brick City]

Yeah, there was more than 13,700 at this game. I don't know where they're pulling these numbers from but 16,500+ for the Rags and the season opener are BS too. There was about 15,000+ there tonight.

I was not at the home opener and there seemed to be some disagreement about the Tampa game (some agreed with the reported ~13k figure and others thought there were more). However, the game against the Rangers was practically a full house and there was clearly over 15k in the arena tonight.

Maybe this is part of the new owners' evil scheme to run the team into the ground and relocate it . Seriously though, not sure why they are intentionally under-reporting attendance especially when this team already has a greatly exaggerated reputation for drawing flies.

 

[Wingman77]

As much as it saddens me to say this, good I'm glad to see tonight's poor attendance as it is a giant **** you to this candy ass family friendly approach

A top 3 rival, Saturday night game generating 13K...

They might as well open up a children s day care center and instead of these concessions with all of these ****** food choices we have gone to - just have arts and crafts stations, bingo, and phonix for the toddlers

 

[Wingman77]

I'm surprised they haven't done in with the mascot - he's all big and scary and stuff and represents the Devil! How can we forget what mamma said about the Devil?

Might as well bring in Barney and friends, they've got plenty of room on the concourse for a playground too

 

[Basement Cat]

Agreed wingman. This is a ****ing sporting event. People get intense and rowdy at these, especially hockey games. When done right, it can be a huge home ice advantage like we saw in the cup run. Our team still has a growing fanbase. A lot of the fans are in the late teens to early thirties age group. That's not exactly a demographic that gives a **** about family friendly. Let the fans go

 

[BenedictGomez]

You gonna pick one up on SH?
Let me know, maybe meet up for a brew pregame

I would have, but I was doing more manly things than attending a 2013/14 Devils game (I was shopping in PA with my gf). But sure I'm always happy to meet up for a beer beforehand if I'm around.

Announced at 13,705.

Not if you go by what's available on TM

Wow. I actually never looked at TM, I just assumed a Saturday night early season Devils/Flyers game couldnt be that bad with the sold numbers since a lot of people would have bought before these two team's mutual failure on ice.

Clearly I was wrong.

 

[guyincognito]

They are reporting honestly. That was probably the number of tickets purchased for the game. I would guess single games were a disaster since this was a top tier game to begin with (well, besides that stupid Rangers tier). Then both teams absolutely blow and destroy the overpriced single game market.

Logical stuff. They had a bad season, then a bad offseason with the Kovalchuk disaster (which hurts with casuals and such and will hurt HUGE next renewal for STH), and now you have this gong show going on in marketing/fan relations. It's just going back to the way it used to be before they started looking for a younger crowd. Even in Newark.

I'd really love to see Eric come on here and try to explain their thought process because this is going to be a hilarious failure, even for the Devils. It's one thing to be indifferent (the curse post 1998 or so), it's another thing to ignore your current market (which you have) for some fantasy market of upper middle class families from Bergen and Essex. This is pretty much why no one turned out at the dump for years. And to make it worse, they're ramming this square peg into a round hole while the hockey end of the organization is obviously taking a step or ten back. Whoops.

 

[NJDevs26]

If you were there you'd think it was probably more than 13500...not much more, maybe closer to my pre-game prediction lol, but I agree with Brick City it did look like a bit more. Then again when 1000 seats mysteriously dissapear from the celing (claiming a sellout's 16500 now), you only need 3000 empties in the normal part of the arena to be 13500, so everything looks like a different number now. They haven't had the discounts they've had in prior seasons either, so whoever was in the building paid sth/StubHub/face prices.

I just hope the emptying out of the arena don't mean the Diablos get more annoying to overcompensate, more nights like last night'll be unbearable on that score.

As much as it saddens me to say this, good I'm glad to see tonight's poor attendance as it is a giant **** you to this candy ass family friendly approach

A top 3 rival, Saturday night game generating 13K...

They might as well open up a children s day care center and instead of these concessions with all of these ****** food choices we have gone to - just have arts and crafts stations, bingo, and phonix for the toddlers

I'm shocked they even kept Earl's Dance Party (thank goodness) and that fan cam where you pan for the cheers and boos depending on jerseys worn. I thought we weren't going to 'embarass' fans of other teams

But yeah part of me's rooting for these 'fan relations' to be an utter failure. Especially if they're going to jack up prices again and drive me out of being a sth and going on the StubHub/HF plan.

 

[Iceman78]

Boy, am I glad Hugh Weber's brilliant family friendly atmosphere is really paying dividends for us! Sell-outs every night by families!


Apparently, I'm not the only idiot/trash/whiner/baby/fairweather fan/etc. that has put his money where his mouth is.

 

[Devils Dominion]

They have to be announcing actual fans who enter the arena each game this season.

The Devils put the fans to sleep but it was more than 13k sold.

Hugh Weber is ruining attendance and fan relations.

 

[Wingman77]

If you were there you'd think it was probably more than 13500...not much more, maybe closer to my pre-game prediction lol, but I agree with Brick City it did look like a bit more. Then again when 1000 seats mysteriously dissapear from the celing (claiming a sellout's 16500 now), you only need 3000 empties in the normal part of the arena to be 13500, so everything looks like a different number now. They haven't had the discounts they've had in prior seasons either, so whoever was in the building paid sth/StubHub/face prices.

I just hope the emptying out of the arena don't mean the Diablos get more annoying to overcompensate, more nights like last night'll be unbearable on that score.



I'm shocked they even kept Earl's Dance Party (thank goodness) and that fan cam where you pan for the cheers and boos depending on jerseys worn. I thought we weren't going to 'embarass' fans of other teams

But yeah part of me's rooting for these 'fan relations' to be an utter failure. Especially if they're going to jack up prices again and drive me out of being a sth and going on the StubHub/HF plan.

Yea I was equally as surprised of both Earl and the booing/cheering fans segment because of how stubborn they were with the broker BS and the goal song

I got to the arena around 7 and the parking lots were emptier and there weren't as many people walking to the arena or up the stairs/escalators so I thought maybe it was because I was getting there so close to puck drop and most were inside or at their seats already, but that did not seem to be the case

 

[Devils Dominion]

There were at least a thousand more fans last night compared to TB.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I would guess single games were a disaster since this was a top tier game to begin with (well, besides that stupid Rangers tier). Then both teams absolutely blow and destroy the overpriced single game market. Logical stuff.

In hindsight, that clearly appears to be what happened. But typically speaking, an early Devils/Flyers game would have had a pretty solid single-game sales figure even BEFORE the drop of the puck on the season. So, IMO, that's just more evidence that the tickets are too damn high.