Last night’s 3-1 Devil win over the Rangers – which Derek previously recapped – was played before a sellout crowd of 17,625 at the Rock.  That in itself isn’t news although the fact the crowd composition has tilted far more toward red than blue in the last year is noteworthy.  Last year’s playoffs were a coming of age for the Devils’ fanbase with a pronounced red and white presence in the stands against both the Flyers and Rangers.  While the Flyer fan contingent has decreased at the Rock since the move to Newark, it wasn’t that long ago (in 2009) where Ranger blue made up about 50% of the crowd for the final game of our postseason, and then-Ranger coach Tom Renney had to remind his team not to do their customary stick salute after the game despite the expected Ranger fan presence.

However, it’s not just against our rivals where Devils Army (our fanbase moniker) has packed the Prudential Center.  Going back to Fan Appreciation Day last April, the Devils have played before sixteen straight sellouts at the Rock, a streak pretty much unheard of around here.  Granted, eleven of those were playoff games – though it should also be said that every playoff game in Prudential Center history has been reported as a sellout – and only a couple of those were ‘suspicious’.  Some others were expected sellouts anyway, such as Opening Night or Devils-Rangers.

That said, there’s something to be said for a more consistent and growing fan presence, especially after a lockout which threatened to stunt momentum from the Devils’ unexpected playoff run last year.  Even Devils-Islanders last Thursday was a sellout.  Usually Devil-Islander games (for whatever reason) bring some of our smallest crowds, but not this time.  It does need to be said that there were multiple internet discounts for this game which helped goose the attendance, particularly from Groupon and Living Social – which the team partnered with to offer heavy discounts.  Apparently many more people took advantage than anticipated since Living Social had problems with people who bought lower level seats being played in the upper level, and vice-versa.

I’m personally not against discounting, especially early in a season and especially post-lockout to recapture the buzz of last Spring.  Even if the prices people get in with are below season ticket price for a few games.  I can hardly complain with all of the extras I’ve been offered (detailed already in a prior post), and my own pricing.  One of the latest sth offers is actually for a road game on Long Island next weekend – $45 buys you a ticket in the 300 level where the Devils shoot twice, bus transportation with all the other Devil fans you’ll be sitting with, a Devils t-shirt and snacks for the ride from Newark to Nassau and back.  As much as I can’t stand the rattrap known as Nassau Colliseum, I’d be taking advantage of this myself if it weren’t for the fact I have no idea how long the parking lots will let me stay in Newark on non-game nights and I have no interest in trying to catch a train back when NJ Transit only runs the Morris line once every hour on the weekend.

Getting back to the theme of this post though, it’s not just that people are showing up, it’s the fact that the crowds have been active.  When you get people in the building for cheap, more often than not it’s a younger (and more internet savvy and thus likely to find the discounts) crowd – and the Devils’ fanbase skews younger anyway.  Younger fans are generally more willing to make noise and be into the game.  Not to mention the least likely to leave early – unlike the sth family in front of me who always leaves games early, even the Islander game when it was 4-4 and we were on the power play late.  I was incredulous at the fact they would leave at that point in the game, kid or no kid.  Having a higher season ticket base – a reported 10,000 plus according to this article by Chris Botta, also helps tremendously.  Botta’s article is a good read in general, on the Devils’ first few days of internal discussions and planning once the lockout ended.

You see the increased buzz manifest itself in many places, like the viewing parties at the Rock – including the one on Opening Night which drew over a thousand fans to watch the game on the jumbotron (with free food and discounted parking), and the Devil fan presence at Long Island for their first two games there.  To their credit, the Devils have been ahead of the curve with social media offers and advertising.  In this day and age, you have to take advantage of the Internet in any way possible.  Surely, the Devils have come a long way from a few short years ago when there was little incentive to be a season ticket holder, and less advertising.  Increases in both have slowly but surely improved the crowd and the atmosphere at games.

NEWS FLASH: And just as I finish typing this, the Devils have made a trade of all things…acquiring Kings center Andrei Loktionov for a fifth-round pick.  I’ll say this for Lou Lamoriello, he loves his enigmatic Russians although there isn’t really much downside to acquiring a talented 22-year old for a fifth-rounder.  The 5’10 180 pound playmaker never quite stuck with LA, bouncing back and forth between there and Manchester (their farm affiliate), and will be assigned to Albany upon arrival.