Hockey is Back in Trenton!

From 1999 to 2013, Trenton (NJ) had an East Coast Hockey (ECHL) minor league hockey team first called the Trenton Titans, then they changed their name to the Trenton Devils to reflect their affiliation with the New Jersey Devils (2007-2011) before changing their name back to the Trenton Titans for their final two years. This history courtesy of Wikipedia, who since AI entered the scene is starting to look like an authoritative source. *shudder*

Don and I went to some games in our pre-Ashley days. When she was little, I remember taking her and her favorite doll, Jenny. I remember her teaching Jenny "how to walk" around the 200-level club seats. Fond memories for us, but ones our girl has no memory of.

Fast forward to 2026 and the announcement that hockey was coming back to Trenton. The Titans played in the Sovereign Bank Arena before it was renamed the CURE Insurance Arena. In recent years, the CURE Insurance Arena has mostly been the place for high school and college graduations, monster truck rallies, cheerleading competitions, and the sort. Springsteen rented it out during the pandemic to try out his Broadway show. Lucky fans could hear his music from the parking lot, but no one was allowed in.

When we heard tickets were going on sale for the now named Trenton Ironhawks, Don and I knew we wanted to support their home opener. We were not alone, they had a sell out crowd of 7,032. Compare that to Trenton Thunder having a 6,440 capacity. 

We had fun at the game. It was amazing seeing the crowd excited and united. People talked about how they remember going to Titans games. People wore a combination of hockey jerseys ranging from the electric blue Trenton Ironhawks to the black, red, and white Trenton Titans merch to Team USA, to NHL teams such as the Philadelphia Flyers and the Jersey Devils. Don and I were starting to feel left out wearing regular clothes.

As we passed the ticket scanner we instantly saw Elissa and Andy from Temple Micah. I kept an eye out for other friends, but did not see anyone else I knew. That night my Facebook feed was lit up with pictures from other friends at the game. 

The Ironhawks (or simply the "Hawks" as the crowd chanted) won their home opener by a score of 4-1. With just under three minutes to go, and losing by a score of 3-1, the Adirondack Thunder made a bold move and took away their goalie. The Ironhawks scored again.

I think I saw three fights, including one as the game was finishing. None were bench clearing, but all added to the reputation hockey has as epitomized in the joke: I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. The crowd loved it.

After the third goal a small mass exodus started. They were the wise ones. Those of us waiting until the end had gridlock that Trenton has not seen since Derek Jeter rehabbed at Trenton Thunder on July 3, 2011 and they had a record 9,212 fans. I think we missed that one.

The lots near the stadium filled up about 45 minutes before puck drop. We were stuck on Route 129 through two traffic light iterations before the police came over to manage traffic. We parked in the overflow lot near the McDonalds with many other fans. Anticipating the crowd, the Titans had markers pointing the way to the stadium. It is a little tricky as that lot is on a triangle of land and you have to cross the railroad tracks, and walk across the 129 overpass, then pass the Taco Bell (which was doing a happening business) to their main entrance. We know the area, and still found it tricky.

Returning to the lot was easy -- we followed the crowd, and waited for a RiverLine light rail train to go by. Once in the car, though, we sat for nearly 30 minutes before Don turned around and tried what he thought would be the harder way out. We'll have to give parking much more thought before returning. Hopefully ticket sales continue to be strong.