The last straw

It happened this morning, about the time Johnny saw the Red Bulls feed on Twitter coming out with yet another change in bag policies wherein clear bags with draw strings are no longer allowed. What the fuckity fuck ever. Yes, treat everyone who wants to go to your event like a would-be terrorist. If you're to the point a clear bag with draw strings is somehow a McGyver terror kit then Johnny's just done with the lot of you. He had to deal with a shitty brand spanking new bag policy down in New Brunswick at the Michigan State vs Rutgers football game October 10th. Oh hey, we forgot to tell you, yeah her purse can't come in but if you go to the other side of the stadium we have a locker truck set up and for the low low one time price of 10$ we'll hold your wife's purse for the night. Yeah, no planned profiteering going on there. Just a quick explanation of "Well we just decided to go with the NFL policy." Well thanks for telling anyone.

So no Red Bulls, Johnny's enjoyed going in the past but no more. No NFL games, No RU football games, no to anywhere that acts like this. At Devils games they look in your bag and let you in, they haven't given in to this "The guest is not to be trusted" policy so you know it's not some set in stone mandated law as certain venues would like you to believe. Red Bulls, don't call Johnny anymore about ticket plans (he unsubscribed from your constant emails a while ago but that did nothing) or this or that. The team may well be playing deep into the playoffs. Swell, just sell that seat to someone else.

OK Bon Jovi fans, this one's for you

Twelve hours and some change out from the big moment we're gonna keep the energy up today with New Jersey's own and a pretty cool video to boot.

They should just put a giant Jon Bon Jovi head on top of the Prudential Center shouldn't they? It could light up and spin and music could pump out of it and on game nights when the Devils score sparks would shoot out of his eyes.

Johnny's clearly an idea man. Bon Jovi and 'It's My Life'

It's getting to be that season, hockey and food drive season!

Johnny hasn't been spending too much time covering either the Devils or Rangers (coming in 2015 Islander coverage when they move off the island!) because October and November. BUT Devils fans tomorrow night at the Prudential Center is a very important game and thew Devils need your help to help others. Saturday night (A Saturday night hockey game--sweet) the Devils will face off with Patrick Roy's underachieving Colorado Nordilanche. It's always great to see Roy dealing with mediocrity especially when so much was expected of HIS team. When the coach is the biggest name on the bench he's the one going to take the heat. Paaaaaaaaa-trick! but Johnny digresses...

The IMPORTANT part of tomorrow night's game is YOU the fan. The Devils are hoping to break their record of 20,000 pounds of food for our friends in need this holiday season. If just the idea of giving canned goods and feeling good about it AND a Devils game weren't enough the Devils are going to sweeten the pot; any fan bringing in ten or more items will get a voucher for A FREE GAME LATER THIS SEASON! That is a great deal friends. Good on the Devils.

We're going to give the Jersey City Desk famous last word to Prudential Center president of business operations Hugh Weber:

“We have an obligation as an important community asset to help create positive changes in peoples’ lives, especially when it comes to basic necessities like food.”

Jersey City Desk file photo

That's Right! St. Peter's takes down Seton Hall in OT

The Pride of Jersey City®, the St. Peter's Peacocks beat Seton Hall at the Prudential Center yesterday 83-80. The win by the Peacocks breaks a 17 year drought against The Hall.

Desi Washington had an incredible game, going off for 34 points including the winning 3 point basket in overtime. The only thing putting a damper on this wonderful win for St. Peter's (3-6) was Jamel Fields of SPU picking up a knee injury. Marvin Dominique also impressed for St. Peter's with 23 of his 25 points coming in the second half.

St. Peter's is at Hartford next Sunday the 22nd before coming home to the Yanitelli Center for a 2pm tip on Saturday December 28. Let's fill that place!

The New Jersey Devils are back on the menu here

The gimme gimme take take Jeff Vanderbeek days are officially over! A long nine year nightmare of ownership has given way to a new owner and ownership team at the Prudential Center. The NHL has approved the sale of the Devils to billionaire John Harris and co-owner John Blitzer.

Harris, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, will also now control operating rights to all shows and events at The Rock. The Star-Ledger also spilled more on the Devils new braintrust and who'll be running the day-to-day operations:

Scott O'Neil, who became CEO of the 76ers earlier this year, will also be CEO of the Devils organization overseeing Devils business operations and Devils Arena Entertainment, which includes the Prudential Center. O'Neil is the former president of Madison Square Garden Sports, where he oversaw the business operations of three professional sports teams: the New York Rangers, the New York Knicks, and the New York Liberty. O'Neil will work closely with Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ president/general manager.

So there you go. We congratulate Mr. Harris on his purchase. Now, you've got about a season an a half to become a GIVER in the revenue sharing setup in the NHL and not a constant TAKER before Johnny starts in on you. Welcome to the NHL.

Johnny fears "Here we go again" with Ticketmaster and the Rolling Stones

Johnny had the proper pre-sale code given by the Rolling Stones themselves. He was online as tickets went on sale. He tried getting regular priced tickets and none came back. On a hunch he tried for best seats and best price meaning show him if even the $750 tickets were available. They were not. So both nights with the correct pre-sale code are 'sold out' and YET (you knew there'd be a YET), tickets are available on resale sites like Stubhub and something calling itself "Ticket Network (legalized scalping -- they can do it because they are a big company whereas you can be arrested for doing what they do) conveniently marked up 400% already.

People, this might be the final straw. How are Ticketmaster and Stubhub even legal with their business practices. They're basically crooks (and Johnny has been saying this LONG before today, it's not sour grapes) who don't care if any fans ever see the show as long as they move tickets.

No doubt you'll be hearing various threats from outraged fans and local politicians (It IS an election year) but until these types of business practices are curtailed nothing will change.

SHAME on you Ticketmaster and your bastard child StubHub.

Rolling Stones release the dates for the Prudential Center

December 13th and 15th are the dates of the Rolling Stones concerts at the Prudential Center. Wha's amazing is that this is a FOUR date concert tour with two of those dates in Newark. The others are in London. The Devils owner had a nice comment on the shows but he's persona non gratis around here until he and his other scumbag NHL owners get over themselves and their greed and start the NHL season.

But back to the Stones. There was also this nugget, that the Stones are filming the December 15th show LIVE:

"...the Stones’ plan to shoot the concert for a pay-per-view event. "One More Shot," to be filmed at the Dec. 15 show..."

New Yorkers had long hyped this 50th Anniversary "tour" as landing at the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn in November but sadly for them acoustics won out and the shows are in Jersey. No doubt there is plenty of hand wringing and wailing over this choice as New Yorkers think every big show has an obligation to go to them, but thankfully the Glimmer Twins have spent enough time in this world to know there's a whole concert scene outside Gotham.

Tickets on sale 10/26 to the general public and 10/20 if you're a pre-sale kind of music lover. The prices are between $95 and $750 dollars.

This will mesh well with tonight's Music Series -- Are the Rolling Stones looking at December dates at The Rock?

The Rolling Stones could just be close to booking December 16 and 17 at the Prudential Center. This would be Mick and Keef's first trip back to perform in the Garden State since 2006 and first in the area since performing at the Beacon Theater in 2007.

The Prudential Center had this non-denial denial which we think bodes well:

Robert Sommer of Rock Entertainment Management did not shoot the rumors down, but he did say that the potential Stones dates were speculation at this point. Nothing is confirmed; fans are advised to keep fingers crossed.

Uh, shadoobie we'll be sad if this doesn't happen...

MATTEAU! MATTEAU!, er wait, HENRIQUE! HENRIQUE! HENRIQUE!

A night years in the making

Johnny doesn't have to mention game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final to Devils fans. They live with that ache every game. Johnny doesn't have to mention it to Rangers fans because they never shut up about it. Tonight is a chance for the Devils franchise and fans to cut that pain in half.

As Johnny said going into this series this is not the Messier/Leetch vs Brodeur/Stevens series, it's a new generation of Callahan and Lundqvist vs. Parise and Kovalchuk. The torch has been passed. To the players tonight means so very very much, to Devils fans it matters more. They have lived with the guarantee for many moons. Players move on to play elsewhere or move away when they retire. Fans stay local or loyal to the Devils. Don't say there is no equivalence, oh there sure is. The mighty Rangers in the swamps of Jersey looking to stay alive and an entire blue fanbase ready to bang their heads into walls.

John Tortorella said after the Devils won game five he felt the Rangers finally found their game. They really knew what they were doing. They got it together. He felt they would carry the effort forward.

That's one way to look at it. Here's another. The Rangers, after they got behind 3-0 had to come up with  a haymaker. The Rangers are a proud team. They responded. But how much effort did an already tired team expend to come back and tie but ultimately lose expend? Maybe that was the Rangers best shot.

In the history of people saying the first goal is important tonight underscores that by a hundred. If the Devils get out first, and start the effective game that has frustrated the Rangers all good things are possible. Don't give the Rangers a sniff. Keep dumping the puck into Del Zotto's corner and spin the wheel and see what creative play Del Zotto comes up with to turn the puck over. Go ahead by two goals tonight and Charon starts readying the boat, and Devils fans start up a collection of obolus' to pay Charon, for the Rangers crossing to watching the Final on television.

Call it what you will, reclaiming honor, getting a monkey off your backs, payback, it has been called many things, and the New Jersey Devils have a chance at it tonight in their building in front of mostly their fans on their terms. On national television they have a chance to defend their keep and strike at fatal blow to their greatest enemy.

As Tyrion Lannister says on this upcoming week's Game of Thrones; "There are brave men knocking at our door, let's go kill them!!" (and don't get bunged up about a quote using the word kill, free the metaphors!)

You know how you'll sometime get that jokey idea about the Devils or Rangers actually FLYING to go play one another?

And how you'd smirk and laugh that "Hah, that's such a stupid idea nobody would ever do that. I mean how long would you even be in the air for?"

Answer: 10 minutes.

Yes, people did.

You can track the excitement here as some Rangers fans actually flew (and the Rangers sponsored this BTW, they are culpable in this idiocy, it was their CONTEST) from LaGuardia to Newark to see the game Saturday at the Prudential Center. An Airbus A319 flew people at 3000 feet those ten anguishing minutes. You can get the rest of this story here from the New York Times.

Game four tonight, pivotal as they saw the the broadcaster booth.

Make sure to follow Johnny on the Twitter this afternoon

For some awesome in game pictures and analysis. If your Twitter is tuned HERE your Twitter is tuned RIGHT!

Devils vs. Rangers Game 3 at the Prudential Center 1 pm

And Johnny's gotta post this and get himself ready to shuffle off to Newark himself for the big game (No press passes here).

This is the game you worry about Devils fans. This one. Often times in the playoffs a team coming home could and should get a giant boost from playing at home yet come out sloppy or worse, flat. This game poses such a threat. Johnny doesn't think this threat of losing will come from the Devils coming out flat but rather the Rangers will come out inspired and proud AND having had one extra days rest. The Rangers know they need to take advantage of any way to rest their bodies after two tough seven game series'.

The Rangers are going to come out with a push, the Devils and their 17,000+ friends must be ready to push right back. If the Devils can keep playing the way they are with speed and aggressive forechecking and can win today, all great things are possible. Lose today and you're playing for your life in game 4. The Devils in a word today must be relentless.

Today smells like overtime for some strange reason...

The PATH series has become reality!! Devils vs Rangers begins Monday night! Updated!

This is so choice it's got a Red Wings fan excited. The PATH series, the Battle of the Hudson begins Monday night at Madison Square Garden. Game 2 will be Wednesday night at MSG. The game day of game 3 hasn't been announced yet but the Prudential Center said they are sold out for all games in the series. No luck, they got none. Same thing at MSG.

When last we left the Devils and Rangers it was March 19 at MSG and the game had a firecracker of a start, after almost the same thing happened earlier at The Rock.


We will have more, much more on this series in the days ahead but Johnny ain't afraid of no nothing, so here's the call now: Devils in SIX games.

Update: The NHL just announced the dates for all games. Game 3 is next Saturday afternoon.

Devils vs. Flyers Game 4

Famed and colorful CBC analyst Don Cherry is on record saying game 4 is the key to a series. If you're up 2-1 you can grab a stranglehold. If you're down you can claw back and level it at 2-2 and settle in for a long series. Such a game presents itself tonight at the Prudential Center.

The Devils are going to have to weather the Flyers best effort. If they don't see it from the Flyers then they have already most likely won this series. The Flyers have the offense and the confidence they can fight back. The funny thing about confidence in the playoffs is once it begins to get nicked even a little it can slide away fast. Call the Blues when their plane lands back in St. Louis in a few hours. The Flyers are at that point. They're not as mentally tough as the Devils and they have a couple human retaliatory penalties looking for a place to happen. This is the game that famed steely resolve of Devils teams past must manifest itself current day. Grind hard for 60. Turn the other cheek. Make the first hit. Play in the corners like you brought the puck.

And the birthday boy has to come up huge. Marty can't win tonight. If he wins it's happy birthday to an elder NHL statesman on a big win and the Devils played well and if he loses, oh boy, a 40th birthday will never have more over the hill comments made about it. Again, just outplay the guy at the other end. You know, if you and a friend are running on the African plains and you're being chased by a hyena, you don't have to be faster than the hyena, just faster than your friend.

Philadelphia's continued willingness to give up the middle of the ice and allowing the Devils to carry the puck across the Philly blueline because they fear the Devils speed to the outside is working well for New Jersey. They can skate it in and set up or get to center and make good dump ins to get their quite effective cycle game going. Hopefully David Clarkson can pop a couple goals tonight, introduce a Flyer or two to the smell of his gloves and give the Flyers even more to worry about.

Johnny's not making a prediction, everytime he does the Devils lose. So he'll just leave it at this; play 60, play aggressive, play smart and play fast. The Flyers have a glass jaw, hopefully the Devils can find it tonight.

Devils win in overtime -- take 2-1 series lead!

And Johnny has you covered. Sadly the phone battery only lasts so long and although Alexi Ponikarovsky scored not 15 feet from Johnny you'll just have to enjoy the incomparable Bob Cole on CBC with the call of the winner.

Now for Johnny's shots:

Anybody headed out to the Prudential Center tonight?

What a couple nights of the Garden State on display out at The Rock this week. Tonight is Bruce Springsteen and Thursday Johnny and 17,000+ of his closest friends will be back in Newark for the Devils and Flyers game.

But back to tonight. Johnny's friend @The_Word_Nerd mentioned on Facebook a while back that this was her favorite Bruce song. It is a great song indeed, so wherever you are and whatever point you may find this, it's dedicated to you @The_Word_Nerd do enjoy.

Bruce Springsteen with 'Spirit In The Night'

Devils vs Flyers, the Turnpike Series

What's this ask Devils fans, the second round? Well bust our buttons it is. And against a hated rival to boot? Too cool.

Or not.

You all know Johnny wants the Devils to win. He loathes the Flyers and always has. That being said the matchup doesn't favor the Devils as of today.

Unless Martin Brodeur can find a magic kernel of goaltending potion and play his best series in years it certainly looks like the Flyers in six games.

The Devils gutted out the series against Florida and deserved to win it. We did learn that in the short period between the regular season ending and the playoffs beginning the USS Devils PenaltyKill hit an iceberg and has been taking on water. The Panthers hit the jackpot around 30%. If the hole isn't patched it could get bigger with the awesome offensive talent the Flyers can run out on both powerplay units. It would make Johnny sad to see Daniel Briere running around scoring on the powerplay knowing you simply aren't allowed by rule to smash his smarmy mug into the NHL logo behind the nets.

By rule.

Here's the good news Devils fans, buy shares in Parise, Zajac & Kovalchuk Inc. As good as the Flyers are at offense they are as bad at the whole defensive thing. The defense seems lost. They run at everything like a cat with a laser pointer and give up a copious amount of odd man rushes. We don't know who made more "big" saves in the last series with Pittsburgh, Ilya Bryzgalov or his seeing-eye dog. Ilya is sporting a plump 3.89 GAA and a "He must be blacking out for short periods of time or something" save percentage of  .871.

The hard working Devils defense will be dog tired each night chasing the Flyers flyers around the ice. Salt of the earth defensive corps for New Jersey but just maybe not quite enough in a long series.

So, on paper (or the interwebs equivalent) it sadly would appear that the Flyers do have an edge. Common sense would dictate a call of Philadelphia in six games. That would indeed play nicely into the New Jersey mantra of us against the world and just what are you gonna do about it. Indeed some early success might feed that very live animal coming back to Newark. The roof could come off the Prudential Center Thursday night if the Devils can snatch one of the first two.

Johnny's counting on that, he's got his tickets waiting at will call.

Go Devils!

Once again, Ticketmaster FAILS in its duty to make Springsteen tickets available to all

By now you've no doubt heard that thousands of Bruce Springsteen fans were shut out by marauding 'bots' or ticket buying programs yesterday. Even as fans kept trying to access Ticketmaster to buy seats for the upcoming shows at the Izod Center and the Prudential Center sites such as eBay and StubHub were advertising the tickets they were trying to buy for thousands more.

Ticketmaster acted surprised and shocked (again) saying:

"We anticipate and prepare for volume, but what we experienced today was a highly suspicious source of traffic, and there was exponentially more traffic than other similar days with major ‘onsales,’ " Ticketmaster spokeswoman Jacqueline Peterson said.

SO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TICKETMASTER. We've seen ZERO ideas from Ticketmaster, who lets face it makes hundreds of millions of dollars really for doing NOTHING, on how THEY plan to stop this kind of thing in the future. Gee, you'd think they just didn't care until someone like Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.) comes sniffing around asking hard questions about Ticketmaster's business model:

"We’ve got to take a very, very careful look at the use of high-tech computer programs. While many fans were unable to get tickets today, many brokers were able to get their hands on good seats ... and put them up on secondary ticket sellers’ websites," said Pascrell, who will re-introduce federal legislation to improve oversight of the ticket industry.

Truth is Ticketmaster could give a shit. They get their money via the bots through resellers and that's what they care about. If Ticketmaster cared this wouldn't happen time after time after time after time.

Short of passing serious laws with serious penalties about reselling tickets say within 24 or 48 hours after they go on sale this won't change. Ticketmaster (and by association Ticketmasters own reselling arm TicketsNow), eBay, StubHub etc. are NEVER going to fix their business model for fans. They're not.

So Mr. Pascrell do your worst, get everyone behind you, pass a serious law with serious consequences and you know what, NOBODY will be on Ticketmaster's side. We've all been getting ripped off by them for decades. There will be NO public outcry over turning the screws on them. Right or left, Republican or Democrat we all enjoy going to concerts. It's a win-win proposition. It'd play REALLY REALLY well in an election year. Just saying. Ticketmaster doesn't HAVE to be a necessary evil.

Scott Niedermayer will have his #27 retired by the Devils tonight

So if you're heading out to The Rock make sure to get there by 6 pm as the ceremony will begin shortly thereafter and you don't want to be the pantsload trying to get down the row to your seat spilling popcorn and beer on everyone while Mr. Niedermayer is speaking.

In a statement earlier to the media out at the Prudential Center Niedermayer said he was proud to be a Devil. As always the Jersey Journal has more on tonight's festivities...

The Devils will play the Dallas Stars after the ceremony. Say, didn't Dallas and New Jersey play an important game at some point?