Sabres sell-out the playoffs

[MayDay]

According to today's Buffalo News, this year the Sabres will not have any playoff tickets available for sale to the general public.

http://www.buffalonews.com/214/story/36297.html

There are 14,800 season-ticket holders, and 98.5% of them have already reserved their playoff tickets, and some have gotten extras. Also, 90% of STH have already put down a deposit to renew for next year.

Looks like there will be no more stories this year about Sabres playoff tickets selling out in 17 minutes after going on sale. They won't even go on sale this year.

Too bad that the casual fan won't be able to buy a playoff ticket (except from a scalper), but OTOH it's good that it shows the franchise on firm financial ground.

Click to read more...

 

[MLH]

Even better to see all of the suites sold for next season and 41 sellouts essentially guaranteed already for next year.

 

[What the Faulk]

Sucks to be a fan of the Sabres who can't afford season tickets but wants to go to a few playoff games. I always hated that the season ticket holders could get extra tickets and the general public can't get any. How many of those are gonna be put up on Ebay or something?

 

[DevFan-RU-]

Sucks to be a fan of the Sabres who can't afford season tickets but wants to go to a few playoff games. I always hated that the season ticket holders could get extra tickets and the general public can't get any. How many of those are gonna be put up on Ebay or something?

Alot probably...

 

[Skroob*]

anyone have an estimate as to how many bandwagons their parking lots can accomidate?

 

[EarlOfBud]

anyone have an estimate as to how many bandwagons their parking lots can accomidate?

Yeah because theres no real sabres fans right?

 

[Skroob*]

Yeah because theres no real sabres fans right?

didnt seem to be too many a few years ago when the team was in trouble.

 

[hexrae]

Great news for the Sabre's.

 

[EarlOfBud]

didnt seem to be too many a few years ago when the team was in trouble.

There are more fans now with the team doing well (just like in any city with any sport) but to say its mostly bandwagon fans going to these playoff games is a lie. How many bandwagon fans wear Craig Simpson and Brad May jerseys?? Not many that I know of.

 

[NoGoal]

LOL, to call season ticket holders bandwagon fans is a bit off, isn't it?

 

[trueblue9441]

you know what might be an idea... i dont know what there doing with the aud but you know how tampa had a viewing party when the team was in calgary for the finals? imagine filling up the aud for a viewing party... kinda nostalgic for old school sabres fans and the new sabres fans would feel the excitement of the old barn as well

 

[The Sanchise]

you know what might be an idea... i dont know what there doing with the aud but you know how tampa had a viewing party when the team was in calgary for the finals? imagine filling up the aud for a viewing party... kinda nostalgic for old school sabres fans and the new sabres fans would feel the excitement of the old barn as well

They do that at Dunn Tire park last year and had fans tailgating early in the afternoon and on.

 

[NoGoal]

Not sure the Aud would be ready for any inhabitants. They do have major parties downtown before later round playoff games with bands and other things. As said above they have viewing parties at the baseball park. They get a few thousand ppl at those things.

 

[joshjull]

didnt seem to be too many a few years ago when the team was in trouble.

02-03 the year of turmoil they averaged 13,735. Bankruptcy and a owner stealing money. The year after with a new owner they got up to 15,290. Then the lockout. The two years previous the averaged over 17,000 and got back there last year. Hardly a lack of fans considering the situation. Ignorance is bliss on HFboards

http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_buf_attendance.html

 

[joshjull]

Alot probably...

I doubt it. Only 10% of the extra tickets were granted. Most fans just got there seats and if they split them with someone they got some for those they split with.

 

[MayDay]

you know what might be an idea... i dont know what there doing with the aud but you know how tampa had a viewing party when the team was in calgary for the finals? imagine filling up the aud for a viewing party

Would be cool, but I don't think the inside of the Aud is in any condition for that sort of thing. I could be wrong, but I think the inside is gutted, and all the seats are gone.

Like the other poster said, though, they did this last playoffs at Dunn Tire Park (the local triple-A baseball stadium), a few blocks from HSBC Arena. Also, I heard that a couple WNY independent movie theaters showed live playoff games on their big screens.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Buffalo is a great hockey town but why oh why do you feel the need to brag about doing what an NHL franchise is supoossed to do!!! Sell tickets !! Especially since you are in first place, it just seems so lame to brag about it.

 

[MayDay]

Buffalo is a great hockey town but why oh why do you feel the need to brag about doing what an NHL franchise is supoossed to do!!! Sell tickets !!

It wasn't meant to be bragging. And selling-out playoff games isn't the point (most teams do that).

The new and interesting thing here is that the STH base is so large and the demand so great, that no playoff tickets will be available for sale to the general public. I don't think this has ever happened before in franchise history.

It also really shows how far this team has come from bankruptcy, to a really solid financial footing, and looks to be a stable franchise into the foreseeable future. It's a model for how the NHL can be made to work and be profitable in small markets, and how the new CBA has turned things around.

That's why I thought it was worthy of a thread in the Business section.

 

[Skroob*]

02-03 the year of turmoil they averaged 13,735. Bankruptcy and a owner stealing money. The year after with a new owner they got up to 15,290. Then the lockout. The two years previous the averaged over 17,000 and got back there last year. Hardly a lack of fans considering the situation. Ignorance is bliss on HFboards

http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_buf_attendance.html

you proved my point. Thousands of seats went unsold. The owner in NYC sucks too, but that does not mean we turn our backs on our players on the ice. Its disrespectful to their effort.

 

[TVanek26*]

you proved my point. Thousands of seats went unsold. The owner in NYC sucks too, but that does not mean we turn our backs on our players on the ice. Its disrespectful to their effort.

Yeah you also have about 10x more people and a lot more disposable income.Get real, not everyone is going to drop thousands of dollars to watch a ****** hockey team and if you do your a loser and should spend your money in better ways.

 

[MLH]

you proved my point. Thousands of seats went unsold. The owner in NYC sucks too, but that does not mean we turn our backs on our players on the ice. Its disrespectful to their effort.

Well, the Islanders and Devils don't draw well, so I'm assuming NYC refers to MSG. This is the first season in five years that every Rangers game will sell out. Plus, the comparison is ridiculous. You're comparing a city with a metro population of 17 M+ to a metro area with a population just over a million, not to mention a stagnant economy. Additionally, the Sabres generate very little corporate ticket sales compared to a city that HQs many of the world's largest corporations and plays in the world's "most famous stadium". Yet both teams will play to capacity for the first time in a while this season.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Yeah you also have about 10x more people and a lot more disposable income.Get real, not everyone is going to drop thousands of dollars to watch a ****** hockey team and if you do your a loser and should spend your money in better ways.

He has a point. MSG sold out when the team was basically a lottery team. It's incredible how easy it is for MSG to sell out for a Rangers or Knicks game.

The fans in the area are about as passionate as possible, anyway.

 

[KeydGV21]

Would be cool, but I don't think the inside of the Aud is in any condition for that sort of thing. I could be wrong, but I think the inside is gutted, and all the seats are gone.

Like the other poster said, though, they did this last playoffs at Dunn Tire Park (the local triple-A baseball stadium), a few blocks from HSBC Arena. Also, I heard that a couple WNY independent movie theaters showed live playoff games on their big screens.

I think the Aud could hold the thing seating wise, the problem is that hardly anyone's been back since it closed up and it'd be an awful lot of work for something that would likely be a few dollar admission if any at all.

During an OLN television broadcast from HSBC Arena during the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the inside of the Aud was shown and the video showed that the seating bowl and arena floor have remained virtually untouched. Most notably, the advertisements that were on the boards during the final Sabres game in 1996 were still present and the scoreboard hanging above center ice remained in the rafters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Memorial_Auditorium

It'd be a great idea, but semi recently there was a report that when someone did go back in there was still bloddy gauze sitting in the lockerroom. I can only find it in blog form, but I remember reading about it in the Buffalo News as well.

 

[Meichel Kane]

I've got some bids on a few tickets on eBay, hehe. There were 2 tickets for game 1 going for $405 already (bad for me...good for the Sabres).

 

[KeydGV21]

you proved my point. Thousands of seats went unsold. The owner in NYC sucks too, but that does not mean we turn our backs on our players on the ice. Its disrespectful to their effort.

New York has over 8,000,000 people in the city.

Buffalo has less then 300,000 people in the city.

http://www.city-data.com/city/New-York.html


Comparing the two cities in any way regarding attendance is absurd and useless.