2013 Draft to New Jersey, 2014 Draft to Philadelphia

[chilly666]

NEW YORK – The New Jersey Devils will host the 2013 NHL Draft at Prudential Center in Newark and the Philadelphia Flyers will host the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the National Hockey League announced today.

The 2013 NHL Draft, scheduled for June 28-29, will be the first ever held in the New York City metropolitan area.

Philadelphia also will be a first-time host of the NHL Draft.

The NHL Draft has grown significantly since the first such event was held in a hotel ballroom in Montreal in 1963. After 17 years of being conducted in various Montreal hotels and the League office in that city, the Draft sported a new look as the historic Montreal Forum played host to the event in 1980 in front of more than 2,000 spectators.

In 1985, the NHL Draft was held outside Montreal for the first time as a crowd of 7,000 filled the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Montreal again hosted the Draft in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 2009, and Toronto did the honors in 2002. NHL Draft events have been given an enthusiastic welcome in other cities across North America – including Detroit (1987), Bloomington, Minn. (1989), Vancouver (1990, 2006), Buffalo (1991, 1998), Quebec City (1993), Hartford (1994), Edmonton (1995), St. Louis (1996), Pittsburgh (1997, 2012), Boston (1999), Calgary (2000), Sunrise, Fla. (2001), Nashville (2003), Raleigh (2004), Ottawa (2005, 2008), Columbus (2007), Los Angeles (2010) and St. Paul (2011).

NHL club executives, scouts and coaches will be present on the NHL Draft floor while more than 10,000 fans and 500 print, television and radio media are expected to attend.

The Draft offers the opportunity for hockey fans to witness the beginning of the careers of the latest NHL stars. Recent overall No. 1 picks include Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 2004), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 2005), Erik Johnson (St. Louis, 2006), Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay, 2008), John Tavares (NY Islanders, 2009), Taylor Hall (Edmonton, 2010) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton, 2011).

[thepolishkid88]

NJ got 2013, so this is officialy the Atlantic Division draft. I'm waiting for 2015 and 2016 to be in New York. Well maybe 2015, the Islanders will proably have a new home by then...

[Boston Garden]

Does New Jersey's 2013 draft date come with an opt-out clause to Quebec?

[canuck2]

good way to introduce the NHL back to Quebec.

[Janssen25]

Great news. Without a doubt will attend this next year.

[Janssen25]

Originally Posted by Boston Garden

Does New Jersey's 2013 draft date come with an opt-out clause to Quebec?

Are you serious? Boston was averaging right around 15,000 a year since moving to their new arena until they started winning in '09. Don't act like Boston has some hardcore hockey fan base. Theyre about as fair weather as it gets.

[bigjack]

The Devils owner was broke the last time I looked?

[Boston Garden]

Originally Posted by Janssen25

Are you serious? Boston was averaging right around 15,000 a year since moving to their new arena until they started winning in '09. Don't act like Boston has some hardcore hockey fan base. Theyre about as fair weather as it gets.

New Jersey didn't even sell out through the early 2000's when they were at the peak of their success. In fact they were a couple hundred better than Boston when the Bruins were at rock bottom. Case and point the New Jersey couldn't average a sell out this year when the Devils made it to the Cup Finals. Speaking of the Cup Finals you're aware that the Vancouver-Boston series blew the NJ-LA Finals out of the water? In fact NJ-LA was historically awful rating wise?

Nevermind when the Old Boston Garden used to be around which was one of the best home ice advantages in sports.....while the Devils were the Kansas City Scouts and the Colorado Rockies (not to be confused with the baseball team).

Bottom line is that Boston is an Original 6 franchise that isn't going anywhere, New Jersey is in flux and could be relocating for the 3rd time in franchise history.

[mikebflorida]

Good grief, who cares where the stupid draft is? And who cares where that franchise is next year?

[fcm]

Originally Posted by mikebflorida

who cares where that franchise is next year?

Let me guess... hum... New Jersey Devils fans???

[pesadillamal]

Much like the franchise residing there, I expect the 2013 draft to be a black eye for the league as multiple future stars take a wrong turn in Newark and wind up in the hospital with no wallet.

[Janssen25]

Originally Posted by Boston Garden

New Jersey didn't even sell out through the early 2000's when they were at the peak of their success. In fact they were a couple hundred better than Boston when the Bruins were at rock bottom. Case and point the New Jersey couldn't average a sell out this year when the Devils made it to the Cup Finals. Speaking of the Cup Finals you're aware that the Vancouver-Boston series blew the NJ-LA Finals out of the water? In fact NJ-LA was historically awful rating wise?

Nevermind when the Old Boston Garden used to be around which was one of the best home ice advantages in sports.....while the Devils were the Kansas City Scouts and the Colorado Rockies (not to be confused with the baseball team).

Bottom line is that Boston is an Original 6 franchise that isn't going anywhere, New Jersey is in flux and could be relocating for the 3rd time in franchise history.

I never said Boston was moving. Clearly they're not.

But making negative comments about the Devils fanbase is pretty ridiculous coming from a guy who roots for an original 6 team that averaged 15000 fans year after year playing in a big city with absolutely no competition to sell fix anywhere near them. The Devils came to NJ and had to compete with the Rags who are 15 mins away, the Isles who are and hour away and the Flyers who are 2 hours away.

Fact is, the Devils fanbase is bigger than its ever been and the team plays in a new arena that's one of the nicest in the NHL. They're not going anywhere.

Originally Posted by pesadillamal

Much like the franchise residing there, I expect the 2013 draft to be a black eye for the league as multiple future stars take a wrong turn in Newark and wind up in the hospital with no wallet.

Poor Homo Larry. Still upset weeks after Henrique sent the Queen and that loser franchise across the river home. Don't worry, as Rags fans have been saying for the last 15 year's "the future looks bright." What a joke.

[pesadillamal]

Nah, just trying to have some fun. It is pretty clear who the upset one is. Boston Garden was also having some fun with what I thought was a pretty funny joke but sensitive Sally had to come in and attack the Bruin fanbase, which is pretty funny considering the Bruins Stanley Cup series destroyed the series this year in tv ratings even though there was a Canadian team involved.

Fairweather fans do exist in hockey though and that seems to be the case with every US team. Even the Rangers don't generate great tv ratings in this great market because of that 15 years you brought up. If they made it to the cup everyone would jump on board and the series would do well but they don't draw very good ratings as of now. Hopefully they could establish a winning culture because the future is indeed bright if they stay the course. I have only thought that for two years and not 15.

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by canuck2

good way to introduce the NHL back to Quebec.

Just FYI :: The new 18,000 seat arena in Quebec City will not be ready until the 2015 season is ready to begin in the fall , the NHL will have to keep the Devils going until then if they plan to move them to Quebec ..

[canuck2]

the NHL may have to take over the devil's from what I have heard. A couple of years of doing this and then moving the team to Quebec sounds good to me.