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Originally posted by osterzone http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=308953 So their top line is like Kovalchuk-Zajac-Parise now? Yikes I'm a Rangers fan but I have to admit that Lou Lamoriello is the best GM in sports. I admire the Devils for the way their franchise is run. They need more fans though.

I'm a ranger fan too sad to say. They suck! the Rangers have the dumbest personal running the team. Devils are good now with that addition and a cup contender.

This hit me like a brick to the head, that's how surprised I was... Rumors only got out about this 2 days ago, Lou Lam's is extremely secretive...

We've now got 3 fucking HUGE lines, because you figure he can either play with Parise or Zajac, or they'll center him in between Elias and Rolston... Zubrus is on fire lately, Clarkson comes back soon, and now only our D has a small hole in it (nothing to worry about)...

I'm usually a humble person, but I can already see the rest of the NHL is ALL talking about this, and are getting pretty nervous... Lou played his cards right the past couple years to be able to make this move, much respect to him.. He's not a Hall-Of-Famer for nothing!

Hello, Lord Stanley!!!

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Originally posted by DJ Eco This hit me like a brick to the head, that's how surprised I was... Rumors only got out about this 2 days ago, Lou Lam's is extremely secretive... We've now got 3 fucking HUGE lines, because you figure he can either play with Parise or Zajac, or they'll center him in between Elias and Rolston... Zubrus is on fire lately, Clarkson comes back soon, and now only our D has a small hole in it (nothing to worry about)... I'm usually a humble person, but I can already see the rest of the NHL is ALL talking about this, and are getting pretty nervous... Lou played his cards right the past couple years to be able to make this move, much respect to him.. He's not a Hall-Of-Famer for nothing! Hello, Lord Stanley!!!

HAve to agree. Not a huge hockey fan. Bu I do follow the Rangers to a minimal extent. But Looks like the Devils are in GREAT shape to win another cup.............

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Originally posted by DJ Eco This hit me like a brick to the head, that's how surprised I was... Rumors only got out about this 2 days ago, Lou Lam's is extremely secretive... We've now got 3 fucking HUGE lines, because you figure he can either play with Parise or Zajac, or they'll center him in between Elias and Rolston... Zubrus is on fire lately, Clarkson comes back soon, and now only our D has a small hole in it (nothing to worry about)... I'm usually a humble person, but I can already see the rest of the NHL is ALL talking about this, and are getting pretty nervous... Lou played his cards right the past couple years to be able to make this move, much respect to him.. He's not a Hall-Of-Famer for nothing! Hello, Lord Stanley!!!

Last year on my fantasy team I had Parise, Zajac, Elias, and Langenbrunner, and whenever the Devils had a four goal game, they would all combine for like 10 points. My offense blew people out.

But going back to Kovalchuk...I don't see him staying in Jersey long term. With his contract coming in aren't the Devils salary capped out? Before the trade they had only $2 million in room, and they only moved $4 million back to Atlanta (Oduya and Bergfors). Kovalchuk would have to settle for what he's getting right now or less if the Devils want to keep him.

And as for the cup, it doesn't matter how good you're playing in the regular season until the last month of the season.

The Bruins, Capitals, Devils, Sharks, and Canucks all dominated last season, but they sucked in the playoffs. FFS the Caps almost lost in five games to the Rangers in the first round. And they tore up the southeast...

Well last night proved Ilya still can't manage his temper when it comes to Avery.

This is not the only time Avery has easily provoked him. I can count a couple off the top of my head.

maybe now the devils can start selling out that arena...

I've always said the devils are big name player away from selling out The Rock...

the past few games I've been to, the attendance has been pretty weak. Such a nice arena yet the only time it sells out is playoffs and Rangers/Devils and even then its more Rangers Fans then devils fans...

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Originally posted by osterzone the Caps almost lost in five games to the Rangers in the first round. And they tore up the southeast...

you can blame bad coaching on the part of the rangers for that one

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Originally posted by Scoops maybe now the devils can start selling out that arena... I've always said the devils are big name player away from selling out The Rock... the past few games I've been to, the attendance has been pretty weak. Such a nice arena yet the only time it sells out is playoffs and Rangers/Devils and even then its more Rangers Fans then devils fans...

Nah I don't think they will come close to selling out. The Devils have never had a big fanbase, largely because there's no TV market for them in Jersey and what sports fans there are in the state are tied up with NY sports.

Everyone thought the new arena in Newark would solve the attendance problems (since there was no public transportation to the Meadowlands) but it hasn't.

Didn't they get like only 7,000 fans for their Stanley Cup parade in the parking lot in 2003?

Lundqvuist tore us a new one yesterday, well-done (I'll admit that)...

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Originally posted by osterzone Nah I don't think they will come close to selling out. The Devils have never had a big fanbase, largely because there's no TV market for them in Jersey and what sports fans there are in the state are tied up with NY sports.

Well, it's a weird case for the Devils... I'm not gunna defend them and say they sell out game after game... But it's very misleading when you look at the numbers... Our average attendance the past decade is usually only 1000-1500 below that of the Rangers, and runs around 16,000... A good majority of the NHL attendance is 17,000-18,000 (which is also the Rangers' numbers) with one or two teams going past the 20 and 21 mark.. The numbers are all out there if you wanna disagree with me, nothing to dispute really...

Also, one facet of the new stadium that doesn't really help our cause are the new viewing bars for the centrally seated ticketholders, otherwise known as the "Fire & Ice" lounges... Naturally, there's a huge hole in the center seats because at least half the people sitting there are watching the game from Fire & Ice, while getting free food and sometimes open bar... So that's a couple thousand people that aren't sitting in their seats, so yes, it looks bleak when watching on TV, seems like no one's there... In the grand scheme of things, the Devils are still within the top 10 of teams in terms of revenue, believe it or not. Rangers are top 5, but hey, it's New York, and it's one of the original teams....

As far as the Rangers-Devils games, it's common sense. When tickets to see a regular Rangers game cost $50-100, obviously a shitload of Ranger fans buy Rangers-Devils tickets (in Jersey) when they cost $25, and is well-connected to Penn Station in NY... You'll hear a lot of Rangers fans say some of the few games they go to during the season are the Rangers-Devils and Rangers-Islanders away game, simply because it's cheaper... Makes sense, I guess...

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Originally posted by DJ Eco Well, it's a weird case for the Devils... I'm not gunna defend them and say they sell out game after game... But it's very misleading when you look at the numbers... Our average attendance the past decade is usually only 1000-1500 below that of the Rangers, and runs around 16,000... A good majority of the NHL attendance is 17,000-18,000 (which is also the Rangers' numbers) with one or two teams going past the 20 and 21 mark.. The numbers are all out there if you wanna disagree with me, nothing to dispute really... Also, one facet of the new stadium that doesn't really help our cause are the new viewing bars for the centrally seated ticketholders, otherwise known as the "Fire & Ice" lounges... Naturally, there's a huge hole in the center seats because at least half the people sitting there are watching the game from Fire & Ice, while getting free food and sometimes open bar... So that's a couple thousand people that aren't sitting in their seats, so yes, it looks bleak when watching on TV, seems like no one's there... In the grand scheme of things, the Devils are still within the top 10 of teams in terms of revenue, believe it or not. Rangers are top 5, but hey, it's New York, and it's one of the original teams.... As far as the Rangers-Devils games, it's common sense. When tickets to see a regular Rangers game cost $50-100, obviously a shitload of Ranger fans buy Rangers-Devils tickets (in Jersey) when they cost $25, and is well-connected to Penn Station in NY... You'll hear a lot of Rangers fans say some of the few games they go to during the season are the Rangers-Devils and Rangers-Islanders away game, simply because it's cheaper... Makes sense, I guess...

If you're going by the NHL's attendance numbers, which probably count the number of tickets sold (not asses in seats during the games), you're going to be misled from the truth.

I'm not saying the Devils don't draw, but it's been known that teams inflate their attendance numbers, especially the Islanders, who claim they are drawing a decent amount of fans per game when they are really only drawing 6-7k. This year they're probably doing better in attendance because the team is better and they have Tavares, but in the past they would grossly lie about their attendance numbers.

Every team I've seen (whether it's the NHL level or minor-pro) inflates their numbers. If you counted the actual amount of Devils fans at the Rock during a game it would probably be much lower than the NHL's figures.

I remember a couple years ago Tampa was ranked near the top of the league for attendance, because they were allegedly drawing 19,000+ fans a game. Bullshit. I've seen plenty of NY teams play in that building and they are nowhere near to capacity.

As for the Rangers, I don't go to their games anymore. I used to go to two games a season at the Garden with my Dad with tickets we would get from his job, but lately the prices have skyrocketed and the team has gotten worse.

The last game I went to was when the Rangers lost 6-3 to the Canucks in November 2008 and the only reason I went was because I managed to get a pair of seats in the 100's ($200+ value) for free from a hockey forum I frequent.