Tapping into the pride generated by the first truly New Jersey major sports championship should be priceless. It's all backward. The Devils are the only team in this market. There is bad blood between McMullen and the sports authority. It has become an immensely adversarial relationship, perhaps beyond repair.
Every franchise moving into a new area gets some kind of public support.
The New Jersey Devils got zero. McMullen says they were doing him no favors, there was a provision to reopen the lease. And then, there was the suspension of the arena lease during last winter's NHL lockout. The sports authority termed it a necessary formality. The Devils have claimed this is the back-stabbing salvo that launched the whole fight.