THE Prudential Center has more bells than Scott Ste vens ever rung, more whistles than Jacques Lemaire ever blew when a Devils forward ventured past the hash marks. The place holds 17,625, room for all the coaches Lou Lamoriello has ever fired.
After virtually selling out last night’s opener, the Devils may even need all of those seats for other regular-season games, rarely the case at the Meadowlands. They could either stay at the Meadowlands and starve or take the keys to the store that former Newark Mayor Sharpe James handed over, without a referendum, before he was indicted for other matters.
It’s the Devils’ building. Also, their rake for the loot, after paying only about one-third of the cost. Revenues will be up, essential because the team, which last summer lost its best center and defenseman and hasn’t gotten out of the second round in the last three playoffs, likely will be down.
After Marty Brodeur, the Devils’ next-best attraction is now their building, which has loud ambience, 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, even if there weren’t 300 cops standing guard.
“NJPAC is celebrating its 10th anniversary and I don’t think there has ever been one report of a violent crime,” said Devils’ owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek. “I can’t change [perception] overnight. But based on response, people are willing to come and see for themselves.”
For beer guzzlers, a train finally is the way to go see the Devils. For gas guzzlers, there are 5,500 parking spaces within a quarter mile, meaning the Devils won’t lose a driving crowd that had been dissipating anyway. At least 12 of 76 suites were dark last night, though Vanderbeek says 63 of 70 hawked on a season basis were sold.
He reports 94 percent season-ticket renewals from last season’s 8,000 base, plus 3,000 new ones.
He also said that 75 percent of the orders for 10 Jon Bon Jovi concerts came from New York, where the World’s Most Famous Arena sits over the train station just 15 minutes away. Better believe a new Garden is on its way, now that Jim Dolan has state-of-the-art competition.
The area’s first new sporting venue in 26 years does set a gleaming standard.