I'm delighted that we're on the road to closure. It took something to get people's attention. Indeed, they massaged the tentative agreement until moments before Thursday's announcement. To facilitate talks, the judge had twice postponed a hearing on the authority's motion for a restraining order to prevent the Devils from moving. On Thursday, he held the matter over until Sept. 15.
Plans also call for private lounges for holders of club seats.
He said the Devils would get most of the take from the sale of club seats, each of which generates up to four times the revenue of a regular seat. All of the changes will reduce the capacity of the arena, now 19,040 for hockey, by at least 1,000, Rowe said, adding that season ticket holders will be displaced. Another major aspect of the deal is to create more advertising opportunities in and around the arena, and cut the Devils in on the proceeds. In addition, the Devils might get a slightly larger cut than they now receive from concessions, parking, and luxury suites, Mulcahy said. Many details of future allocations between the team and the authority remain unsettled, and Mulcahy would not disclose what is under discussion.