New Jersey Devils: Why I Still Prefer the Meadowlands over Prudential Center

It's been almost five years since the NHL's New Jersey Devils played their last game at Continental Airlines Arena (which was originally called Brendan Byrne Arena). Call me crazy (and I'm sure somebody will), but I miss those days, which included the three stints that I interned for the Devils in the 1990s.

Don't get me wrong—the Prudential Center is a great place. It's obviously more modern, and it's much easier to get to Newark by rail than by car to East Rutherford.

But if given a choice, I still prefer the Devils' old digs for several reasons...

Seats Up Top Were Wider

Roman J. Uschak photo

I've always been one to sit upstairs at hockey games—not only is it cheaper, but you get a better look at the entire game and how plays develop.

The upstairs seats at the Meadowlands were definitely wider than their counterparts at the Prudential Center. In Newark, I feel like I'm jammed into the seat—and I'm on the thin side, build-wise. Plus, I'm seemingly always stuck up against a guard rail, which is how they separate sections in the very top row at the Rock.

It sure makes for an uncomfortable game experience.

The Cow Tunnel

Roman J. Uschak photo

It was long, it wasn't pretty and it could get backed up a bit during the playoffs—but personally, I always enjoyed the walk from the parking lots at the now-demolished Giants Stadium through the venerable "Cow Tunnel" to get to Continental Airlines Arena.

It was an almost indispensable part of the Devils' game-day experience, especially during the postseason when the building would get very crowded. Walking from Newark Penn Station through the Gateway Center to get to the Rock just doesn't feel quite the same.

Prices Didn't Break the Bank

Roman J. Uschak photo

This isn't about when the Devils first moved to the Meadowlands from Denver in 1982. In 2006-07, the Devils' final season in East Rutherford, a good downstairs seat at Continental cost $90. The next year, with the move to Newark, a similar seat at the Rock cost $150 if you were a season-ticket holder, and $200 for just a single game.

Yes, the lone concourse at the CAA could get jammed up when the building was sold out—but truth be told, I haven't found the concession lines at the Rock to be any shorter in the four years I've been going to games there.

Banners Won Elsewhere

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 28: The Stanley Cup banners hang above the ice as the Buffalo Sabres take on the New Jersey Devils on December 28, 2007 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sabres 2-1 in the shoot out. (Photo by B

The Devils do have an impressive assortment of championship banners hanging from the rafters of the Rock, highlighted by the three Stanley Cup titles.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of those banners were earned in East Rutherford. Yes, the Prudential Center is only four years old (going on five)—but some of the Devils' magic seems to have been left behind when they left the Meadowlands in 2007.

Which brings me to my final point...

Devils Used To Be Able To Win a Playoff Series at Meadowlands

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It's true. New Jersey hasn't won a Stanley Cup Playoff series since ousting Tampa Bay in the first round in 2007 in six games. The Devils then fell to Ottawa in five, and played their final game ever in East Rutherford on May 5, 2007 (above).

Since then, it's been three first-round exits at the Rock, followed by last year's missing the playoffs altogether despite a valiant recovery from a poor start.

No, you can't rationally blame a building for injuries sustained or goals scored or missed power plays or all the other myriad things that happen during an NHL campaign—but it's an ugly coincidence, nonetheless, that the Devils have seemingly gone even more downhill since taking up residence in Newark.

For all the newness of the Prudential Center, I still miss the Meadowlands. I know they're never going back, but the Devils did have some great days there.

Now we'll see what happens this season and beyond, and when the organization's glory days might come back.