Finally, the news most of us locally have been waiting for to become official has come.
Earlier today it was announced that the Devils have agreed to a new lease with Albany County and the Times Union Center. What was hopefully going to be a multi year agreement is rumored to only be for the 2015-16 season. I’m trying hard not to read too much into that, but with the recent upheaval of several AHL teams to be closer to their parent club (most recently Winnipeg moving their AHL team from St. John’s to Manitoba and bringing back the Moose), you have to at least think about what the future of professional hockey in the Capital District beyond next season will look like. There are so many variables that will come into play for season #6 that could determine that, like on ice performance, marketing, visibility in the community, the arena itself, etc. With the recent changing of the guard in New Jersey, one also wonders what kind of influence that will have on the roster.
Also announced in the press release: this year’s home opener, coming up on October 24th. Judging by how late in the month that is, it appears the team will be starting the season on the road for the third straight year. The awkward WP countdown square returns for the next 5 months! Or, 169 days, 24 weeks, etc.
Thoughts Inside The Box 