Blackhawks raise season ticket prices

[Game suspension]

Even with anger at where we're at now, the team still built up a huge amount of good will and public demand from the sovereignty years, so I think they they'll still reliably sell out.

They aren't sold out now. There are lots of tickets that are being dumped before every game at discounted prices. So that long string of sellouts is a flat out lie. Just check out Ticketmaster.

 

[BK]

They aren't sold out now. There are lots of tickets that are being dumped before every game at discounted prices. So that long string of sellouts is a flat out lie. Just check out Ticketmaster.

That could be said for basically every team with a sell-out streak.

 

[Fenway]

I apologize for passing on info my friend misread when she got the invoice.

BTW she did not have a good weekend as she went to the game in St Paul on Saturday and then spent most of Sunday at the airport when Southwest canceled all flights to MDW. She also saw the bad loss in Dallas a few weeks ago but did see the Hawks win in Montreal.

Montreal was an interesting experience for her as it was the first road game she ever went to where there were only a handful of Chicago fans in the arena.

 

[Robsker]

We shouldn't have to worry about going back to something similar to the dark ages....

What does scare the hell out of me is us being stuck in mediocrity and a bubble playoff team at best throughout the remainder of Toews' contract.

The bubble team (or lower) until the Toews and Seabrook era ends is seemingly inevitable. I am hard pressed to see the Hawks get much better (in a meaningful sense that has winning a playoff series in view) until Toews and Seabs are off the books. The Hawks could be better next season as the youth emerges --- if the goaltending can be shorn up. That said, with time, the ability to retain emerging talent is not so great given the Toews and Seabs salary. And Kane will be diminishing here with time too --- and his salary will not go down proportionally. thus, the next 3-4 years for the Hawks are most likely going to be +/- little from where they are now. Any meaningful advance awaits the end of those big salaries. Or... at least it would seem so. So...

your fears are warranted.

 

[AmericanDream]

They aren't sold out now. There are lots of tickets that are being dumped before every game at discounted prices. So that long string of sellouts is a flat out lie. Just check out Ticketmaster.

they are sold out every night

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

We're not going back to the dark ages. That was a mixture of extremely outdated business decisions and cronyism at a level resembling modern day Edmonton. Three of the four most promising youngsters from that era fizzled out of the league almost immediately after leaving Chicago in the ABC line.

Schmaltz, Hino, Cat, etc are all players somewhere.

 

[Game suspension]

Don't knock the dark ages. Buying $10 tickets in the 300 level and sitting down in the 100 level was fun. The hawks sucked but you could basically see any team in the NHL on the cheap.

 

[Pez68]

The bubble team (or lower) until the Toews and Seabrook era ends is seemingly inevitable. I am hard pressed to see the Hawks get much better (in a meaningful sense that has winning a playoff series in view) until Toews and Seabs are off the books. The Hawks could be better next season as the youth emerges --- if the goaltending can be shorn up. That said, with time, the ability to retain emerging talent is not so great given the Toews and Seabs salary. And Kane will be diminishing here with time too --- and his salary will not go down proportionally. thus, the next 3-4 years for the Hawks are most likely going to be +/- little from where they are now. Any meaningful advance awaits the end of those big salaries. Or... at least it would seem so. So...

your fears are warranted.

The cap is going to continue to go up, especially with another expansion franchise planned. Their cap hits will be a smaller percentage of the cap every season going forward, and other teams are going to start having to pay their top players the same money. It's not as dire as it seems.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

Don't knock the dark ages. Buying $10 tickets in the 300 level and sitting down in the 100 level was fun. The hawks sucked but you could basically see any team in the NHL on the cheap.

$8 with a student ID for a few years. I went to 39 of 41 one year. I remember sitting 1st row behind the goalie to a 7-0 loss against the Sharks, lol. Really cool.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

They aren't sold out now. There are lots of tickets that are being dumped before every game at discounted prices. So that long string of sellouts is a flat out lie. Just check out Ticketmaster.

The Hawks sold all the tickets to their games. Whether or not the buyers of said tickets are able to turn around and sell those on the secondary market doesn't change that, nor does it impact the Hawks' bottom line (other than concession sales). So, yeah... their sellout streak is still alive and well.

Now granted, the apparent weakness of the secondary market does indicate a general weakening of the draw, but the core point still remains that they'll likely still be able to replace any lost season ticket holders.

 

[AmericanDream]

The cap is going to continue to go up, especially with another expansion franchise planned. Their cap hits will be a smaller percentage of the cap every season going forward, and other teams are going to start having to pay their top players the same money. It's not as dire as it seems.

yep, look at Edmonton and the money spent on 2 players..2 great players no doubt, but the times are changing and all these young stars are getting monster contracts, the rest of the league is starting to catch up to what we had to deal with. it will be more even in a few more years

 

[Game suspension]

The Hawks sold all the tickets to their games. Whether or not the buyers of said tickets are able to turn around and sell those on the secondary market doesn't change that, nor does it impact the Hawks' bottom line (other than concession sales). So, yeah... their sellout streak is still alive and well.

Now granted, the apparent weakness of the secondary market does indicate a general weakening of the draw, but the core point still remains that they'll likely still be able to replace any lost season ticket holders.

I guess we shall all see. Certainly McDonough is betting on that wait list. I can only tell you that my two seats are available next year and I had them for 11 years.

But when the hawks start dumping half price tickets again next year there will definitely be more of them. So good luck with that new season ticket holders.

 

[featherhawk]

the Hawks are so brazen that theyiwell raise ticket prices so you can see a once great hall of fame coach Constantly f*** up and play AHL thugs with our second best goal scorer...
what an embarrassment this franchise has become, Q has no freaking business behind that f***ing bench

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Don't knock the dark ages. Buying $10 tickets in the 300 level and sitting down in the 100 level was fun. The hawks sucked but you could basically see any team in the NHL on the cheap.

Took advantage of the student ID rules bleachers talked about a few posts below. Towards the end of a few seasons they'd put unsold tix on Ticket Master for free you just had to pay the Ticket Master fee. Talking a pair of tickets eight rows off the glass for $5.25.

I'd gladly be able to go to games 2-3 times a year rather than the 30+ times I went in high school/college to watch some awful hockey teams lose with 5,000 other people.

 

[Game suspension]

I'd gladly be able to go to games 2-3 times a year rather than the 30+ times I went in high school/college to watch some awful hockey teams lose with 5,000 other people.

Well what you have now is an awful hockey team with really expensive tickets. There may be more people but there are a hell of a lot of teenage girls f***ing around with their phones while the game is going on.

Now if they had a contending team I would agree with you. But they don't. And they won't for probably a long time. So I think ultimately ticket prices are coming down. Losing does that.

 

[Mickey the mouse]

Two things worth pointing out:

1/ The lowering of corporate taxes in 2018 comes with a cost. Corporations can no longer deduct ticket costs of sporting events. Previously they were able to deduct 50% of the cost.

2/ The blackhawks are selling/dumping 'last minute' tickets to games now for half the price of what the existing sth's paid. Literally biting the hand that feeds them.

So yeah there is going to be a mass exodus. Expect to see the lower bowl looking more and more like Detroit going forward. Retention of the 300 level will be better but the exodus will be felt there as well I would bet.

You really have to be quite the idiot to buy tickets from an organization that will sell the seat next to you for half the price come game time. McDonough must believe hawk fans are REALLY stupid. And Rocky must be asleep at the wheel to let him undercut the fan base to this extent.

Where do they dump ( person can buy ) the tickets for 1/2 price ?

 

[Blue Liner]

The cap is going to continue to go up, especially with another expansion franchise planned. Their cap hits will be a smaller percentage of the cap every season going forward, and other teams are going to start having to pay their top players the same money. It's not as dire as it seems.

Cap is projected to go up $3-5 million next season alone.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Cap is projected to go up $3-5 million next season alone.

It's actually predicted to go up anywhere from $3-8 million, I believe. Setting it in the middle around $5m is probably something you can comfortably do.

 

[Blue Liner]

It's actually predicted to go up anywhere from $3-8 million, I believe. Setting it in the middle around $5m is probably something you can comfortably do.

Oh wow, I had $5 million in my head for some reason. Hell, split the difference and even $5.5 million is a big jump.

 

[ColdSteel2]

I was thinking maybe they are raising prices in anticipation of the compliance buyouts. If that’s the case, you can’t blame them. They’ll have to write checks for many millions and the ticket increase still will not cover it. For a diehard fan, who gives a damn about the ticket prices. Let the elites and whoever else can afford to go pay for this team. The rest of us can happily watch from home.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Oh wow, I had $5 million in my head for some reason. Hell, split the difference and even $5.5 million is a big jump.

Dropped a link. I was off slightly, but the predictions are $3-7m. Bettman expects it to jump to $80-82m, up from the current $75m.

NHL Salary Cap Could Significantly Increase for 2018-19 | Spectors Hockey

Vegas, and the fact that they're going to be a playoff team in year one, helps tremendously. I'd honestly put the mark at $80m at least. And potentially more.

The bonus of this being... there are some pretty big names on the FA market. Tavares, JVR, Carlson, then RFAs like Stone, Trouba, Miller, Nylander, Larkin, Hanifin, etc.

 

[Blue Liner]

Thanks for sharing. That's even better than I thought.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Thanks for sharing. That's even better than I thought.

Exactly. The Hawks will not have salary cap issues next year. Basically for the first time since the 2010 Cup.

 

[Game suspension]

For a diehard fan, who gives a damn about the ticket prices. Let the elites and whoever else can afford to go pay for this team. The rest of us can happily watch from home.

I am with you Coldsteel. That's why I am telling the hawks to stick it with their invoice. The beer is a lot cheaper at home.

It does make you think about that March 9 deadline to renew tickets though. The hawks are getting REALLY embarrassing and I am sure it will influence renewal rates. I can see Q getting fired before that just so the hawks can create the illusion of change for next year.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Where do they dump ( person can buy ) the tickets for 1/2 price ?

That guy clearly doesn't understand how the secondary market works.