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Governor Murphy Allows For 10% Capacity for Devils Games

Today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a plan to allow for ten percent capacity for sporting events in the state. This will include the New York Giants and Jets of the NFL, the New York Red Bulls of MLS, colleges, minor league baseball and, of course, the Devils.

The Devils put out a release today on their official app that described how fans will be allowed back into Prudential Center to enjoy Devils hockey.

The ten percent capacity announcement goes into effect on March 1 but will begin to affect the Devils starting on March 2 for their game against the New York Islanders.

The Devils wrote that they are as an organization, “incredibly excited to welcome people back to New Jersey’s premier sports and entertainment venue in a safe and measured way.”

The team will partner with RWJBarnabas Health to “make sure that [they] are implementing the most effective practices to keep everyone safe at” Prudential Center. The protocols for fans will “be on full display” and will be there to ensure the safety of Devils fans.

Jake Reynolds, President, New Jersey Devils said in the release: “This is a day toward which our entire staff has been planning, working, and looking forward to for the past 11 months. Those who enter the building will feel confident that our process and protocols are focusted on making their safety the number one priority. That includes maximizing social distancing, minimizing contact, and using products and technology to ensure the wellbeing, safety, and enjoyment of our fans and attendees. The fan’s journey has been developed to provide consumer confidence from the street to the seat, and we can’t wait to feel their energy welcome them back to the Prudential Center and celebrate Devils’ victories in person.”

What all of this entails is that fans will be responsible for acting in a manner serious to the situation. That includes wearing masks – covering their noses – at all times while in the arena, social distancing and generally keeping to their own party.

In turn, the Prudential Center and the Devils will keep things clean and safe as much as they can for us, the fans.

Tickets will obviously be very limited and will be available first to Season Ticket Members according to the Devils.

Ten percent of a 17,000 seat arena is not much, but at least it is a start and a step towards normalcy. We have been unable to watch Devils hockey live for so long and this great news!

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Devils Announce “Go Vote, Jersey”

As promised, here is the information on the new “Go Vote, Jersey” program unveiled by the Devils via press release on September 14.

The program is designed to “help educate and encourage fans to vote” and will provide resources to citizens through a “virtual voting hub.” This hub will give “information, facts, deadlines and additional resources regarding the election and voting process.” The website for that can be found at https://prucenter.com/vote.

As mentioned in my previous post, “Prudential Center will partner with the State of New Jersey, the County of Essex and the City of Newark to serve as a hub fort civic activity this election cycle.”

There will be “ballot drop boxes for voters to safely and securely return their ballot.” There will also be a voter registration drive held on September 22 on Championship Plaza outside of the building “in conjunction with National Voter Registration Day.” In addition to that, in “the week leading up to Election Day, Prudential Center will serve as a satellite office of the Essex County Clerk for residents who did not receive their vote by mail ballot and need one.”

Finally, “on Election Day, Newark residents who opt for in-person voting can cast their ballot or drop their ballot off” at the arena.

Of course, “the final vote for approval of the Board of Elections is pending, with the anticipation that it will be complete in the near future.”

Devils, HBSE and Prudential Center Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer said: “Ahead of the upcoming election, we are proud to partner with the City of Newark and State of New Jersey to make Prudential Center available as a safe, easily-accessible option for citizens in our community to exercise their right to vote. It has always been important for us to share the Prudential Center’s incredible resources with our community and as such, we are excited to uphold our collective civic responsibility to help citizens cast their ballot, however they may choose.”

In addition to this, “the Devils and Prudential Center will create brand-specific content on the voting hub and across all social channels to drive awareness to the “Go Vote, Jersey” movement, including videos, player PSAs, tutorials, podcasts and graphics. All elements will focus on the call to action to vote.”

To this end, Devils’ President Jake Reynolds said: “The sports and entertainment platforms that we have through the Devils and Prudential Center allow us the opportunity and availability to serve our community. No matter who you cast your ballot for, we all have the ability to exercise that fundamental right to go vote. We are proud to have our group help organize, educate and serve as a civic location in the process.”

The press release points out that “Elections across all levels of government are vital for various reasons including funding, essential services and community impact. Voting gives everyone an easy and impactful outlet to become part of the implementation of policy.”

New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way added: “We are proud to partner with the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center to educate voters about the general election, register new voters, and ensure that voting is safe and accessible for all. Especially as we continue to respond to this pandemic, we appreciate every opportunity to work alongside organizations in our communities to reach voters where they are and ensure that they have the correct information to participate in our democracy this fall.”

Once again, the site to visit is https://prucenter.com/vote as it is a “one stop shopping resource for the upcoming election.” The press release notes that Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment wants to encourage all to exercise their right to vote, no matter where your political affiliations lay.