All Purpose Tickets Thread

[Adz]

I agree. Lift the ban on all markets but increase police presence for some. Also offer plenty of opportunity for the local fans to get to come to the game instead of filling up the seats with out of towners. Step up the market presence for those games. Offer slight discounts over regular prices. Get the school groups and the businesses on board to bring groups of fans for those games. And as mentioned before, step up the security/police presence around and in the arena for those games that might get out of hand and follow through with ejecting those who are disrupting the game for others.

 

[predfan98]

I agree. Lift the ban on all markets but increase police presence for some. Also offer plenty of opportunity for the local fans to get to come to the game instead of filling up the seats with out of towners. Step up the market presence for those games. Offer slight discounts over regular prices. Get the school groups and the businesses on board to bring groups of fans for those games. And as mentioned before, step up the security/police presence around and in the arena for those games that might get out of hand and follow through with ejecting those who are disrupting the game for others.

Agree totally.

But the problem is PFO doesn't think we need more police and won't eject people.

 

[Viqsi]

I agree. Lift the ban on all markets but increase police presence for some. Also offer plenty of opportunity for the local fans to get to come to the game instead of filling up the seats with out of towners. Step up the market presence for those games. Offer slight discounts over regular prices. Get the school groups and the businesses on board to bring groups of fans for those games. And as mentioned before, step up the security/police presence around and in the arena for those games that might get out of hand and follow through with ejecting those who are disrupting the game for others.

Absolutely makes perfect sense to me. Target the problem travelers and let the reasonable guests enjoy themselves.

 

[deanwormer]

"Nashville Tourism Agency President: Predators’ Attempt To Keep Blackhawks Fans Away ‘Not A Good Thing’"

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/01/14/nashville-tourism-agency-president-predators-attempt-to-keep-blackhawks-fans-away-not-a-good-thing/

I'm sure this will be met with cries of "Well he doesn't have to go to the game and experience it" but I'm just leaving it here.

I find it fascinating how such a big and important city is absolutely OBSESSED with our lil ole hockey club. Betcha' the Detroit papers don't ramble on every time Det goes to Tampa, where the same policies are in place.... It's almost as if they're insecure, knowing that their inferiority is showing against the "it" city.....

 

[superyan]

I find it fascinating how such a big and important city is absolutely OBSESSED with our lil ole hockey club. Betcha' the Detroit papers don't ramble on every time Det goes to Tampa, where the same policies are in place.... It's almost as if they're insecure, knowing that their inferiority is showing against the "it" city.....

The big city could care less. Reporters just want to get clicks. That's what those articles in Chicago are really about.

If anything, any city that restricts people from buying tickets is the entity that is insecure.

I just checked Ticketmaster and there are groups of 10+ seats together that are still unsold. I can't believe that no one wants to go to a rivalry game like this.

 

[Drake744]

The big city could care less. Reporters just want to get clicks. That's what those articles in Chicago are really about.

If anything, any city that restricts people from buying tickets is the entity that is insecure.

I just checked Ticketmaster and there are groups of 10+ seats together that are still unsold. I can't believe that no one wants to go to a rivalry game like this.

Exactly.

 

[NSH615]

The big city could care less. Reporters just want to get clicks. That's what those articles in Chicago are really about.

If anything, any city that restricts people from buying tickets is the entity that is insecure.

How does that make them insecure? When the opposing fanbase takes over their house, acts like drunken fools, and runs off the home fans you expect them to do nothing about it? I guess we could continue to see the proportion of Away to Home fans get out of control due to the number Preds fans who refuse to put up with that bull. Or we could see the front office do something about it like they are trying, but it isn't enough.

I just checked Ticketmaster and there are groups of 10+ seats together that are still unsold. I can't believe that no one wants to go to a rivalry game like this.

It's because the Chicago fans have run off the home fans. Several of them have been here since Friday night/Saturday morning already partying due to the holiday weekend.

 

[NSH615]

I really don't mind if they lift the ticket restriction. But the Preds must increase the police presence at least ten fold and guarantee that the inevitable unruly/drunk Blackhawks fans are arrested/removed before they start any fights. I think that's what the normal Blackhawks fan just doesn't understand. I don't think they realize just how bad it gets here.

They would have to increase it more than ten fold. More like 100 fold. 4 officers per section + 1 out in the concourse per section.That's how bad it is.

 

[superyan]

How does that make them insecure? When the opposing fanbase takes over their house, acts like drunken fools, and runs off the home fans you expect them to do nothing about it? I guess we could continue to see the proportion of Away to Home fans get out of control due to the number Preds fans who refuse to put up with that bull. Or we could see the front office do something about it like they are trying, but it isn't enough.



It's because the Chicago fans have run off the home fans. Several of them have been here since Friday night/Saturday morning already partying due to the holiday weekend.

Look... I get it... but the answer is not to keep them from going to the game. The majority are normal fans that come down for the weekend. They need to keep the asshats on a short leash and simply eject them.

If you look on Ticketmaster right now, there are a ton of seats that are still unsold from the venue. That shows that a ton of people are not interested in seeing a game against a huge rival. If you look at a game vs a much less popular team on a Tuesday night, the main reason there are more seats sold is because of any of the many promos they are running that night that under cut what I paid for my tickets.

This is my first year with seats.... and I have learned that I could have saved several hundred dollars by not getting season tickets and just buying them with a Kroger card, student discount, Nissan Promotion, etc....

 

[NSH615]

Look... I get it... but the answer is not to keep them from going to the game. The majority are normal fans that come down for the weekend. They need to keep the asshats on a short leash and simply eject them.

If you look on Ticketmaster right now, there are a ton of seats that are still unsold from the venue. That shows that a ton of people are not interested in seeing a game against a huge rival. If you look at a game vs a much less popular team on a Tuesday night, the main reason there are more seats sold is because of any of the many promos they are running that night that under cut what I paid for my tickets.

This is my first year with seats.... and I have learned that I could have saved several hundred dollars by not getting season tickets and just buying them with a Kroger card, student discount, Nissan Promotion, etc....

That line is what bothers me. A lot of people would have interest if the idiot away fans were not there. That is the problem. The Chicago fans over time have run off the local fanbase for this "Huge" rivalry game. St. Louis has done it to an extent as well, just not as bad. Although I consider St. Louis fans worse, many don't. I am nearing the point where I am going to stop going to these games it is that bad. I am not at a game to get heckled as the home fan, if I wanted that I would go on a road trip somewhere. And about the "majority are normal fans just down for the game". BULL! They are here to party and have a good time. That may apply to 15-20% of them, but nowhere near the majority. As Drake said, Nashville is New Orleans for the NHL and all the bars are right outside the doors for them to get plastered before they come in.

 

[gela]

Look... I get it... but the answer is not to keep them from going to the game. The majority are normal fans that come down for the weekend. They need to keep the asshats on a short leash and simply eject them.

If you look on Ticketmaster right now, there are a ton of seats that are still unsold from the venue. That shows that a ton of people are not interested in seeing a game against a huge rival. If you look at a game vs a much less popular team on a Tuesday night, the main reason there are more seats sold is because of any of the many promos they are running that night that under cut what I paid for my tickets.

This is my first year with seats.... and I have learned that I could have saved several hundred dollars by not getting season tickets and just buying them with a Kroger card, student discount, Nissan Promotion, etc....

Utterly disagree. It's going to take a while of the Preds organization demonstrating that it's no longer a bad idea to bring yourself, your family, and friends to a game with Chicago as the headliner because of the crowd that follows them around the country.

The problem is two-fold. Scalping, and behavior of the visiting fans. The measures they took during the playoffs worked, and they seemed to work for the December game as well. Increased law enforcement presence is a huge thing as well--ignoring the inevitable articles about fans crying because they were kicked out for being drunk and disorderly, the outrage.

I'm fine restricting ticket sales. Tampa Bay does it. Other teams do it, other sports do it. I see no reason to feel shame that the organization has finally started listening to the vast majority of ticket holders. The Nashville tourism agency can cry into their buckets of money the All Star Game is bringing to town, because god forbid three to six thousand away fans don't come to Nashville twice a year.

As for the rest of your comment

 

[superyan]

Utterly disagree. It's going to take a while of the Preds organization demonstrating that it's no longer a bad idea to bring yourself, your family, and friends to a game with Chicago as the headliner because of the crowd that follows them around the country.

The problem is two-fold. Scalping, and behavior of the visiting fans. The measures they took during the playoffs worked, and they seemed to work for the December game as well. Increased law enforcement presence is a huge thing as well--ignoring the inevitable articles about fans crying because they were kicked out for being drunk and disorderly, the outrage.

I'm fine restricting ticket sales. Tampa Bay does it. Other teams do it, other sports do it. I see no reason to feel shame that the organization has finally started listening to the vast majority of ticket holders. The Nashville tourism agency can cry into their buckets of money the All Star Game is bringing to town, because god forbid three to six thousand away fans don't come to Nashville twice a year.

As for the rest of your comment

What did they do in the playoffs last year? What is the scalping problem? It seems that I get an email encouraging me to use the NHL TicketExchange once a week.

I think that increased law enforcement and a short leash will keep people from acting like jerks.

 

[NSH615]

What did they do in the playoffs last year? What is the scalping problem? It seems that I get an email encouraging me to use the NHL TicketExchange once a week.

I think that increased law enforcement and a short leash will keep people from acting like jerks.

Well the playoffs worked, but December was a failure. Why?

Last year they said that starting in the playoffs they would make the games credit card only and paperless, meaning if you bought the ticket, you had to use the CC you bought it with to enter. If you were a STH with several people, they would allow unlimited passports to put the needed tickets on for your party. And there would be NO TRANSFERS for these games. If a STH wanted to transfer, it had to be done by a rep.

Guess what the result of that was? Sold out games with about 500 or less Chicago fans.

Fast forward to December, The rules became relaxed. You can now print your tickets, but not too far in advance. The transfer rule went away. And guess what? We had about 4000 to 5000 Chicago fans in the building. The front office went back on their word on this one and as a result we had a failure.

 

[superyan]

Well the playoffs worked, but December was a failure. Why?

Last year they said that starting in the playoffs they would make the games credit card only and paperless, meaning if you bought the ticket, you had to use the CC you bought it with to enter. If you were a STH with several people, they would allow unlimited passports to put the needed tickets on for your party. And there would be NO TRANSFERS for these games. If a STH wanted to transfer, it had to be done by a rep.

Guess what the result of that was? Sold out games with about 500 or less Chicago fans.

Fast forward to December, The rules became relaxed. You can now print your tickets, but not too far in advance. The transfer rule went away. And guess what? We had about 4000 to 5000 Chicago fans in the building. The front office went back on their word on this one and as a result we had a failure.

The reps are going to hate me. I travel a lot, and never know who I'm either giving my seats to or if i'm selling them. There is no way I'm making to to every playoff game.

 

[Drake744]

Utterly disagree. It's going to take a while of the Preds organization demonstrating that it's no longer a bad idea to bring yourself, your family, and friends to a game with Chicago as the headliner because of the crowd that follows them around the country.

The problem is two-fold. Scalping, and behavior of the visiting fans. The measures they took during the playoffs worked, and they seemed to work for the December game as well. Increased law enforcement presence is a huge thing as well--ignoring the inevitable articles about fans crying because they were kicked out for being drunk and disorderly, the outrage.

I'm fine restricting ticket sales. Tampa Bay does it. Other teams do it, other sports do it. I see no reason to feel shame that the organization has finally started listening to the vast majority of ticket holders. The Nashville tourism agency can cry into their buckets of money the All Star Game is bringing to town, because god forbid three to six thousand away fans don't come to Nashville twice a year.

As for the rest of your comment

I get what you're saying but to say the "vast majority" of people with some type of season tickets have complained to the organization about Blackhawks fans, that's extremely unlikely. Most of them probably don't like them but the "vast majority" isn't going out of their way to complain to the team.

 

[gela]

The reps are going to hate me. I travel a lot, and never know who I'm either giving my seats to or if i'm selling them. There is no way I'm making to to every playoff game.

You don't have to buy playoff tickets...or you can by them via mysmashvilletix a la carte.

 

[superyan]

You don't have to buy playoff tickets...or you can by them via mysmashvilletix a la carte.

The ala carte price is usually higher and I like my seats. I want the ability to sell the games I don't make and have them partially subsidize the games I do go to.

 

[NSH615]

The reps are going to hate me. I travel a lot, and never know who I'm either giving my seats to or if i'm selling them. There is no way I'm making to to every playoff game.

They wouldn't hate you for transferring tickets to maybe 4-6 games out of the year as that's all that this would have applied to.

 

[NSH615]

The ala carte price is usually higher and I like my seats. I want the ability to sell the games I don't make and have them partially subsidize the games I do go to.

Yes they are higher, but if you are only attending 1 out of possibly 3 or 4 playoff games it is kind of stupid to do that. Last year all of our playoff games were during the week and at 8:30 and by what you have said about your work schedule, it sounds like you would not have been able to make it to any of them.

 

[gela]

I get what you're saying but to say the "vast majority" of people with some type of season tickets have complained to the organization about Blackhawks fans, that's extremely unlikely. Most of them probably don't like them but the "vast majority" isn't going out of their way to complain to the team.

Quibbling about the precise fraction of fans who've complained--neither you nor I have actually performed a full survey of the ticket holder base to see what they have or have not complained about. What I do know is that at every STH meeting, multiple people bring up the issue to general agreement. Every home game versus Chicago (and St Louis), people complain. They see the number of people flipping their tickets. They know how many people got arrested. They perform surveys themselves. All of this in aggregate (in addition to non-verifiable stories of management getting cursed out in front of their children by visiting fans) has led to these measures being put into place.

 

[superyan]

Yes they are higher, but if you are only attending 1 out of possibly 3 or 4 playoff games it is kind of stupid to do that. Last year all of our playoff games were during the week and at 8:30 and by what you have said about your work schedule, it sounds like you would not have been able to make it to any of them.

It really depends on my travel schedule. It's not so much as I'm stuck in the office working late.. it's that I'm usually a good 2-4 hour flight away. A lot of it is last minute as well.

The only thing I would make it a point to be at is if they made the finals. Other than that, work takes priority.

 

[gela]

The ala carte price is usually higher and I like my seats. I want the ability to sell the games I don't makeand have them partially subsidize the games I do go to.

Unfortunately, you don't actually have the right of resale if they don't want to give it to you. Especially to "subsidize" your ticket package.

I'm sorry the Preds may have harshed your ability to flip those tickets to pay for the privilege of renting a seat for the season. It's up to you to decide if you want to take that risk or not.

 

[superyan]

Unfortunately, you don't actually have the right of resale if they don't want to give it to you. Especially to "subsidize" your ticket package.

I'm sorry the Preds may have harshed your ability to flip those tickets to pay for the privilege of renting a seat for the season. It's up to you to decide if you want to take that risk or not.

Why do I get emails from the Preds encouraging me to use the exchange? If a STH sells on the exchange, how come they don't restrict people from Chicago from buying those?

 

[LCPreds]

I don't mind if they tighten restrictions on the Chicago games like they did in the playoffs. But don't just go halfway. If I can't make the game, and they won't give me the ability to sell the ticket, then they need to buy it back like they initially promised. That part of the policy was never put into place.

Water under the bridge at this point since it looks like they do actually allow you to sell these tickets now. It will be interesting to see just how awful it is tomorrow night...

 

[NSH615]

I don't mind if they tighten restrictions on the Chicago games like they did in the playoffs. But don't just go halfway. If I can't make the game, and they won't give me the ability to sell the ticket, then they need to buy it back like they initially promised. That part of the policy was never put into place.

Water under the bridge at this point since it looks like they do actually allow you to sell these tickets now. It will be interesting to see just how awful it is tomorrow night...

Agree and based on how many Chicago fans I saw downtown in Chicago Jersey's on Saturday night, I am expecting a terrible experience.