Flames @ Devils tips for a trip to the Prudential Centre

[Ben_in_Canada]

Hey,
as the title suggests, I've got tickets to the Flames at Devils next week.
Has anyone been to this arena before?
We're staying in Manhattan and most likely will be using public transport to and from the game.
Any tips for what to do, where to go etc?

[bettman]

Wear Kevlar. As Harry Neale once said its the only building in the NHL where the Shot Clock is outside the building....

[IGGYFORMVP]

New Jersey is not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. A lot of my wife's family lives there and I have always enjoyed it. People have seemed really friendly and the food is always terrific. An extra bonus is a lot of restaurants allow you to bring in your on wine because of liquor laws prohibiting them from serving liquour if there is a liquor store nearby. It is definitely worth it to see some of the suburbs around New Jersey as a lot of the landscaping on homes is unbelievably beautiful.

Have fun in Manhattan I would really recommend MoMA, National History Museum, and I had a great time at Rock of Ages the broadway show. Also if you get a chance go to the restaurant Carmine's near times square. It is unbelievable.

New Jersey seems to get a bad rap but come on people It not like it's Edmonton.

[DT77]

Public Transit is the way to go. If you're in Manhattan, take the train from Penn Station (MSG) to Penn Station in Newark. Should be about 20 minutes. The arena is a relatively short walk from the station.

I've had nothing but positive experiences at the Prudential Center but have not hung out at the bars or any other areas around the arena. It's always been straight to/from the game. Last year my wife and I had club seats and sat in the same section as the whole Gaudreau clan. What a friendly bunch. Johnny's dad and I talked hockey for pretty much the entirety of both intermissions. Great guy.

I typically wear a retro Fleury sweater, so there's a little bit of anti-New York ribbing now and again, but for the most part it gets complimented on. Calgary isn't looked on as a rival obviously, so the fans don't really care who you're cheering for.

Enjoy!

[RM14]

I showed up early to an NCAA game one time and decided to kill some time by walking a few blocks north, it was nerve racking but no one bothered me. I would not recommend it though.

There are a couple good pubs. My favorite one was north of the arena just across the street, packed and fairly modern. And one south called"arena bar" about a block after you cross some parking spots. Both decent!

Great concourses, but a cavernous ceiling which I though dampened the atmosphere of the arena as a whole.

[fire_starter]

I was lucky enough to watch the flames live for all three NY games last year when they made the trip down and would have to say that (no offense to MSG and Nassau, those were some pretty historic sites) Prudential was my favorite arena mostly due to the fact that everything seemed so easy to get to, the locals were fantastic and the bars surrounding the arena were also really good.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by RM14

Great concourses, but a cavernous ceiling which I though dampened the atmosphere of the arena as a whole.

I always thought Prudential would be a fantastic arena if it was 90% of it's current size. The lobby and concourses are fantastic (especially the exhibits to all the local hockey teams), but the bowl itself is just too big...especially for the amount of fans the Devils tend to get. It feels a bit like a football stadium in there.

Sure beats the old Meadowlands though. Now that thing was on par with Northlands in terms of craptitude.

[getbak]

Nothing really to add other than to agree with what's already been said. I went down for the three NY area games last season and the Prudential Center is definitely the nicest of the three arenas. It was also the lowest-attendance game of the trip, so the concourses are both huge and empty. It was easy to make a trip to the bathroom and the beer stand during the intermission and be back in your seat in plenty of time.

The train from Penn Station to Penn Station is definitely the way to go. Once you get to Newark, just follow the crowd to the arena. It's only a couple blocks away from the train station. After the game, just go with the crowd back to the station. IIRC, you can buy a round trip train ticket in NY before you leave, so you don't even have to worry about buying a ticket in Newark.

Go into the arena a little before the game so you have time to walk around a bit. Check out the New Jersey hockey wall, where they have jerseys from every high school hockey team in the state. They also have a display of every NJ player to make it to the NHL, including Johnny and Kenny Agostino.

[Enoch Root]

I did the 'tour' last year as well and generally agree with all the comments (except I though MSG was better).

Agree that the train to Penn station is the way to go.

The one thing I would add is that I would eat prior to heading out to the arena - the food choices were limited to arena food.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by getbak

Nothing really to add other than to agree with what's already been said. I went down for the three NY area games last season and the Prudential Center is definitely the nicest of the three arenas. It was also the lowest-attendance game of the trip, so the concourses are both huge and empty. It was easy to make a trip to the bathroom and the beer stand during the intermission and be back in your seat in plenty of time.

The train from Penn Station to Penn Station is definitely the way to go. Once you get to Newark, just follow the crowd to the arena. It's only a couple blocks away from the train station. After the game, just go with the crowd back to the station. IIRC, you can buy a round trip train ticket in NY before you leave, so you don't even have to worry about buying a ticket in Newark.

Go into the arena a little before the game so you have time to walk around a bit. Check out the New Jersey hockey wall, where they have jerseys from every high school hockey team in the state. They also have a display of every NJ player to make it to the NHL, including Johnny and Kenny Agostino.

Were you there with your girlfriend/wife? And sitting in the corner, a couple rows up from the glass at the Coliseum?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Were you there with your girlfriend/wife? And sitting in the corner, a couple rows up from the glass at the Coliseum?

No. Not me.

I did meet a surprising number of other Flames fans, many of whom also went down just for the trip, while I was down there.

[fire_starter]

Since we're on the topic of opposing rinks. I'm doing the Cali trip in March to see us play the Ducks and Kings. Anyone ever been to Honda Center or Staples for a game?

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by fire_starter

Since we're on the topic of opposing rinks. I'm doing the Cali trip in March to see us play the Ducks and Kings. Anyone ever been to Honda Center or Staples for a game?

Honda Center feels like going to the mall. It's nice I guess, but it has that fake Disney-like vibe about it.

I've never been inside of Staples, but I imagine it would be a bit better atmosphere wise as well.

[fire_starter]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Honda Center feels like going to the mall. It's nice I guess, but it has that fake Disney-like vibe about it.

I've never been inside of Staples, but I imagine it would be a bit better atmosphere wise as well.

Figured as much with Honda Center. Hopefully I bring some good luck and help us break that curse.

I can already hear Cartman and his "GO KINGS GO" chants ....

[getbak]

Originally Posted by fire_starter

Since we're on the topic of opposing rinks. I'm doing the Cali trip in March to see us play the Ducks and Kings. Anyone ever been to Honda Center or Staples for a game?

Yes. Do you have any specific questions?

There isn't a lot of public transit to the Honda Center, but if you're staying near Disneyland, the cost of a cab ride to and from the game is probably about the same as parking at the arena. The parking lot clears out pretty quickly and easily after games. There's a restaurant/bar across the street from the Honda Center that was pretty good.

I went to the Staples Center a decade ago, and they were just breaking ground on LA Live at the time, so I don't know how it is now. I parked in the parkade right next to the Staples Center and it took forever to get out after the game. I would certainly recommend hanging around for a while after the game to let it clear out.


The Kings game I went to wasn't against the Flames, so I wasn't wearing a jersey or anything, so I don't know how they treat opposing fans. In Anaheim, they're pretty much what you'd expect from a laid-back California crowd. Generally, I've found people ask if you're from Calgary when they see the jersey and they're just impressed someone travelled that far to watch a game.

[Nme-Territory]

After the game last year a bunch of us went to a pub right outside Prudential and met a number of other Flames fans there. Mostly Devils fans (obviously) but they were all quite friendly.

The walk to and from Penn Station (Newark) is mostly indoors through what resembles the +15 system in Calgary. It is definitely the way to go.

I found the crowd to be friendlier than at MSG and Nassau but then again, we lost at those two places as well.

[fire_starter]

Originally Posted by getbak

Yes. Do you have any specific questions?

There isn't a lot of public transit to the Honda Center, but if you're staying near Disneyland, the cost of a cab ride to and from the game is probably about the same as parking at the arena. The parking lot clears out pretty quickly and easily after games. There's a restaurant/bar across the street from the Honda Center that was pretty good.

I went to the Staples Center a decade ago, and they were just breaking ground on LA Live at the time, so I don't know how it is now. I parked in the parkade right next to the Staples Center and it took forever to get out after the game. I would certainly recommend hanging around for a while after the game to let it clear out.


The Kings game I went to wasn't against the Flames, so I wasn't wearing a jersey or anything, so I don't know how they treat opposing fans. In Anaheim, they're pretty much what you'd expect from a laid-back California crowd. Generally, I've found people ask if you're from Calgary when they see the jersey and they're just impressed someone travelled that far to watch a game.

You basically said it all, thanks a bunch! Yeah i'm driving down there too but still going to be taking transit to the games. How's the transit system in LA?

[Sakic19]

I went a few years ago by myself from NYC. Thought I would find a restaurant or something close by the rinks like in Glendale. Walked a few blocks away from the arena and had a number of people call out to me. Ended up a mcdonalds which had two armed guards. I would suggest not going alone. Other than that it was a great rink and a brutal Flames loss, but I did get to see Kipper vs. Brodeur

[socalwingfan]

Originally Posted by fire_starter

How's the transit system in LA?

LA is setup for cars - public transit pretty much blows

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I always thought Prudential would be a fantastic arena if it was 90% of it's current size. The lobby and concourses are fantastic (especially the exhibits to all the local hockey teams), but the bowl itself is just too big...especially for the amount of fans the Devils tend to get. It feels a bit like a football stadium in there.

Sure beats the old Meadowlands though. Now that thing was on par with Northlands in terms of craptitude.

Prudential Center is easily the best NHL arena I've been too, but that viewpoint makes sense. There wasn't a ton of atmosphere as there was only about 13,000 people and the Flames won a 1-0 game, but damn is that arena gorgeous. And my favourite part was the guy they had on the concourse cutting cigars.