Islanders to visit Prudential Center for Oct. 10 season opener
The full NHL schedule will not be announced until tomorrow, but the Devils just released some information on their 2008-09 campaign. They will open the season on Friday, Oct. 10 against the Islanders at Prudential Center.
While waiting for the Prudential Center to be completed, the Devils opened the 2007-08 season with nine road games before hosting Ottawa for their arena opener on Oct. 27.
The Devils also revealed that the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings will be the three teams from the Western Conference that they will play at home and on the road. They will play the other 12 teams from the West only once - either in NJ or on the road.
After facing divisional rivals eight times in each of the last three seasons, NHL teams will now face teams within their divsiion only six times in 2008-09 and face each team in the opposite conference at least once. They will continue to face the other 10 teams in their conference four times apiece, but that leaves 18 games for non-conference opponents.
i'll be there on october 10, can't wait!
Posted by: Mike from Elmwood Park | July 16, 2008 at 04:29 PM
TG, any word on if the start times were pushed back to 7:30 on weekdays?
Posted by: Scott731 | July 16, 2008 at 04:35 PM
No word on the starting times being changed for weekdays. I was under the impression they would not be changed.
Posted by: TG | July 16, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Thanks TG. I didn't have great hope they would be changed.
I have no problem getting there at 7 but the crowd always looks pretty sparse until the stragglers come in. It takes until the end of the first period some nights to get a good impression on the number of people in attendance so I'm guessing they do have trouble with the 7 O'clock start. So for their sakes I was thinking the start time might get moved.
Posted by: Scott731 | July 16, 2008 at 04:50 PM
Thanks TG. It seemed to me some fans had trouble making it on time for 7 O'clock starts since the crowd keeps trickling in for almost the entire first period.
Posted by: Scott731 | July 16, 2008 at 04:52 PM
Sorry, thought my first comment didn't post. So now I'll make it 3 comments in a row.
Posted by: Scott731 | July 16, 2008 at 04:52 PM
The 7pm start shows just how completely clueless the Devils management/marketing dept. is. The point of moving into an urban area, with plenty of public trans, and close to nyc, was so fans could get to the games easily. Most people in the city, get out of work between 6-7, NOT 5-6. So starting the games, which already take ~30min to get to from nyc, and most parts of NJ, at 7pm, makes absolutely no sense. You'd think an ex-wall st guy like Vanderbeek would be cognizent of this fact. Unless they are truly afraid of people being at the arena (Newark) 30 min later, which i can not believe since the goal bar stays open till 12 anyway.
Posted by: Jason | July 16, 2008 at 04:58 PM
So the Devs are playing Dallas both home and away, which means we get to see Avery twice. So do you think NHL did that on purpose b/c of the great drama that him and Marty?
Posted by: Swiss | July 16, 2008 at 05:04 PM
Yeah I liked the 7:30 start times better.
Posted by: Steven | July 16, 2008 at 05:07 PM
Jason,
I work in Manhattan too, but 7 pm is easily doable. I leave my office on Wall St at 5:45 and am always there in plenty of time to get a food/drink, etc and scarf it down before the national anthem, etc.
I'd prefer 7:30, but there are plenty of families out there that bring kids and stuff, and that 30 minutes makes a big difference in terms of taking them on a school night, etc. Plus, Friday night games, most people leave by 5ish....
You have to look at the perspective of everyone, not just yourself, the 7 pm start probably gets them more fans then the 7:30 start, because of the families with kids that the earlier start allows not to mention people who work on the 280 corporate area, they get out at 5:30ish, a 7:00 game would have to be more appealing to them as well I would think.
Posted by: Pando20Rules | July 16, 2008 at 05:08 PM
Yeah i think the NHL did purposely schedule dallas twice so we can see avery and marty. I hope avery does the same annoying things to lundquist so the rangers fans can see what it feels like.
Posted by: Steven | July 16, 2008 at 05:10 PM
Pando, you are a piker.
Posted by: Jason | July 16, 2008 at 05:12 PM
no, Jason, I'm what's called a realist; leave the childish remarks for somewhere else please
Posted by: Pando20Rules | July 16, 2008 at 05:13 PM
I look at the perspective of those that can afford the premium season tix. Because those are the people that make everything possible. The casual 9-5er with 2 kids sitting in the upper deck is nice once in a while to make the place look fuller, but he isn't the one paying the bills. Sorry, thats the cold hard reality.
Posted by: Jason | July 16, 2008 at 05:14 PM
I was making a joke reference, which clearly you didn't get. If you leave your office at 5:45 on any given day, you are either the head of a desk/PM, not in finance, or not working for a serious shop.
Posted by: Jason | July 16, 2008 at 05:16 PM
The reason the Devils kept the 7PM start time was due to their great marketing department report. LOL. It's amazing how a professional team in this metropolitian area can not have a marketing department that employs professionals. I'm sorry to sat that the Rangers marketing/pr depts are second to none. They twist every story and turn $hi+ into gold and get it on the back page of the papers. Wake up Vanderbeek.
Posted by: bobo | July 16, 2008 at 05:16 PM
When the start times were 7:30, there were plenty of complaints to change it to 7 - Talking to my season ticket rep at the games the last season before moving to the Rock, you'd be surprised how many people stopped to talk to him just for that reason. There's always going to be someone not happy with whatever the start time is. Personally, I don't care either way, because, while I hate rushing from work to the game, it does afford extra time post-game to get some sleep before work the next day.
As for the Dallas/Devils twice thing, I'm pretty sure that that was decided before Avery signed with Dallas, I remember the day he signed, the folks on NHL Live mentioning that Dallas would play the Rangers and Devils twice each this year, so it had to have been decided before anyone knew he's be on the Stars this season.
Posted by: Josh | July 16, 2008 at 05:18 PM
Exactly Josh.
Jason, I'm not in a finance related job, I just happen to work in the Wall St area, but I have an executive Accounting position, and make up the time the rest of the week. I am a season ticket holder, but only go to about 1/2 the games (have friends, family, etc take most of the other 1/2, as well as sell a few to other fans). I like you would prefer the 7:30 start, but it isn't a dealbreaker. In the end, I like getting home a 1/2 hour earlier, even if I do have to struggle to get there.
Posted by: Pando20Rules | July 16, 2008 at 05:22 PM
What's funny is that the people complaining about the 7pm start are the ones who don't ever go to the games. People amaze me, they complain just for the sake of complaining. I like the 7pm starts because it gets me home earlier. Many people are in the restaurant, merchandise store & the lounges at 7pm. It doesn't mean the people can't make it 7pm.
Posted by: Whistle | July 16, 2008 at 05:23 PM
And also Pando, Wall St. is as close as you can possibly be to the arena while still being in Manhattan. How about all the folks that work in midtown, or on the east side. In the heat of rush hour, than can easily balloon into an hour commute. And you accused me of only thinking about my own circumstances, well, you did too. MOST people working in the city are not getting out of work at 5:45.
Posted by: Jason | July 16, 2008 at 05:23 PM
I dunno about Wall street but I worked in midtown for a year in NY. I got out of work at 5pm, got to the train station by 5:30pm. Could have easily made the 7pm start.
Posted by: MoonDragn | July 16, 2008 at 05:31 PM
Jason,
If you really wanted to get to a game at 7, and were a fan, you can get there by 7. I work on 42nd and 3rd and for the few games that I go to each year, I find a way to get there at 7, whether I have to come in a bit earlier to leave at 5 or work from home.
If you don't have that luxury in your place of employment, a start time of 7 versus 7:30 won't make a difference.
Posted by: Jeff | July 16, 2008 at 05:37 PM
In a converation I had with Vanderbeek last season, he said the team's studies showed the people were in building for the start of the games (7 p.m.), just not in their seats. In other words, they were in the lounges, goal bar or restaurant.
From what I've been able to gather, the team feels that a 7:30 weekday start would get fans who come directly from Manhattan home later than they would want.
Posted by: TG | July 16, 2008 at 06:00 PM
The 7PM start was a deal breaker for me this year as I did not renew my club seats. I enjoyed the arena and all that it offered, however I found leaving my office that 1/2 hour earlier was a killer. Not to mention the extra drive time, especially on Friday nights, and last season we had a lot of Friday games. When your paying for the club seats and rushing to down your food which you've paid for, because you've arrived late, it takes away from the evening.
And Whistle...I guess you're right. If you're purchasing the $10 tickets and looking for the hotdog promotions, the start time doesn't really matter.
Posted by: bobo | July 16, 2008 at 06:01 PM
Personally I can't complain I have full season next year for 15 $ a seat a game.. 7? 730? Alot of games I am going to have to commute over 2 hours... but its still worth it.
Posted by: Chris | July 16, 2008 at 08:15 PM