4 out of 5 Canadian teams did not sell out last night

[dubey]

Sell outs are meaningless given how pricing is dynamic now

 

[Legionnaire11]

Sellouts don't mean a lot. Every team has a minimum break even number which is what really counts. Plus sponsorship deals and merchandise sales, along with playoff revenue. Those are all more important than getting that last 1000 seats filled every night.

Still, this is an interesting little tidbit and it's worth seeing if it's a minor hiccup or the beginning of a trend.

 

[Zerotonine]

Flames have a monster 19,289 capacity rink. For their population size, I’d say it’s too large and obviously the rink is too old.

I attend quite a few games a season and honestly, they sell out. The only available seats are generally in the nose bleeds that have an obstructed view. Not selling out 2000+ seats that feels like you’re scaling a mountain to get to your seat with awful sight-lines isn’t a problem.

The important thing is they sell out the expensive tickets and the boxes which is way more important to the bottom line.

Come on be honest with yourself, I live in calgary.

Calgary is off to a rough start, they only have the support when there winning

 

[Lshap]

Went to last night's Habs game with a friend who is a STH. According to him, the Habs were advertising available tickets up to the last minute, which is very unusual for this market. The Habs' season-ticket-holder retention remains very strong at approx. 99%, however there is a dip in single-game tickets and 10-game ticket packages. Apathy is my guess. When the team misses the playoffs for two years in a row and hasn't made any impactful upgrades, there's less urgency among the fans to follow them and the games become less of an event.

 

[sandysan]

Why pay so much money for tickets, watered down (expensive ) beer and crap snacks, when you can sit at home and watch it on 4D widescreen TV? Same reason why so many theaters had to change the moviegoing experience in the past decade...it's just too easy to forget about the crowds, the cost, and the snow, and stay at home.

I get the appeal of the latter, but i don't care if you have an 8K tv, there is nothing, nothing, like seeing a game live. Its not the same experience, at all.

I have seen new fans who can watch a game with me at home and get bored. you brink them to the rink, that's not much of a problem. If you have been to a lot of games you kind of forget the difference between live and broadcast. if you havent seen a lot of games, that's a hard sell.

I STILL believe that the best way to make new fans is to bring them to a game. Yes its more expensive, yes you can't drink better beer and get food with no lines like you can at home. but it is a special event.

 

[Cotton]

For perspective; 20 teams are sub 100% for home game attendance thus far.

Dallas 99.0%
Colorado 98.9%
Montreal 98.7%
Edmonton 98.4%
Vancouver 98.3%
Boston 97.9%
Detroit 97.8%
NY Rangers 97.7%
San Jose 96.3%
Anaheim 96.0%
Calgary 94.9%
Los Angeles 91.7
Arizona 90.5%
New Jersey 89.4%
Columbus 89.4%
Buffalo 87.4%
Carolina 85.5%
Florida 85.3%
NY Islanders 71.6%
Ottawa 61.2%

 

[BruinsBtn]

This. Imagine trying to bring a family of four.

Also the Canadian economy is failing right now, and Canadians already have record levels of debt.

Non-sellouts have everything to do with economic conditions and not the popularity of the sport.

The Canadian economy is stronger than it's ever been. Unemployment is ultra-low.

 

[Jeti]

90% of Jets tickets are locked in to season ticket holders for multi-year commitments. There's still a waitlist for season tickets.

A big portion of the remaining tickets are held until game day for players families and league officials. They're only released a few hours before the game.

There's also a state of emergency in Manitoba.

I don't think the Jets are in any trouble.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

You come to a point where you realize that a game in October can be enjoyed just as much in the comfort of your own home as it is in the arena, all the while saving hundreds of dollars.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

We just had a gigantic snowstorm that would have shut down the entire city of Toronto and forced them to call in the Army

So sorry for a few people staying home

 

[Drytoast]

Good!

I hope hockey out right dies off in Canada, driving revenue and the salaries right the f*** down. The NHL can't float the league in those sweet no state tax markets.

 

[hoglund]

I understand why Winnipeg didn't sell out considering the snow storm, I'm sure Montreal was close and what do you expect from a weekday game where most fans work the next day.

 

[Gatorbait19]

How long before the Jets relocate again

Well their entire defense already has if that counts

 

[AK87]

I went to a Leafs game last Thursday and I was a little surprised how many empty seats there were.

 

[razor ray]

 

[Fire Chevy]

Well their entire defense already has if that counts

Morrissey is still here

 

[blankall]

TSX near all-time high though, so is this really true?

It's great to be a baby boomer with existing capital saved up. It stinks to be anyone else.

TSX being high is also a product of very low interest rates, which are causing a general issue of inflation, relative to working wages.

Stock exchanges also always should rise over time, due to inflation and population and economic growth. If you look at where we are compared to 2008, when the TSX hit 15000, it's not that impressive. We should be doing much better, and there's lots of talk of an upcoming correction.

 

[K1984]

I think that Stubhub has a lot to do with it.

I was on the Oilers season ticket wait list a while ago, but left because just buying tickets to each game is usually cheaper, and at worst a wash. Only time they go significantly above face value on the secondary market is if a popular team is in town (Torono, Montreal, Calgary) that drives up demand. Buying from the secondary market has the added benefit of prices adjusting to demand if your team stinks.

The Oilers were trying to push out the last few tickets for the season opener and when I looked tickets were twice as much as stubhub.

 

[Pens x]

Why pay so much money for tickets, watered down (expensive ) beer and crap snacks, when you can sit at home and watch it on 4D widescreen TV? Same reason why so many theaters had to change the moviegoing experience in the past decade...it's just too easy to forget about the crowds, the cost, and the snow, and stay at home.

Sports tickets prices have been steep for years, this isn’t something new.

it costs money to do anything fun in life. Do you even go out to dinner? Travel?

 

[pictman]

How long before the Jets relocate again

The province is still trying to recover from a crazy storm. Yesterday was the first day I could get off my property. THOUSANDS have no power yet. If it had happened in Toronto it would be non stop national news.. The Jets arent relocating again. My last point, how many American teams didn't sell out ?

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

For perspective; 20 teams are sub 100% for home game attendance thus far.

Dallas 99.0%
Colorado 98.9%
Montreal 98.7%
Edmonton 98.4%
Vancouver 98.3%
Boston 97.9%
Detroit 97.8%
NY Rangers 97.7%
San Jose 96.3%
Anaheim 96.0%
Calgary 94.9%
Los Angeles 91.7
Arizona 90.5%
New Jersey 89.4%
Columbus 89.4%
Buffalo 87.4%
Carolina 85.5%
Florida 85.3%
NY Islanders 71.6%
Ottawa 61.2%

Oilers are actually at 100% capacity...those numbers from ESPN are wrong (18,347 is a sellout)

the Oilers sellout streak, however, is in jeopardy tonight

 

[These Are The Days]

Sunbelt team doesn't sell out = MOVE THEM!


Canadian team doesn't sell out = wellllll

 

[MessierII]

Sunbelt team doesn't sell out = MOVE THEM!


Canadian team doesn't sell out = wellllll

Not selling out at the highest ticket prices in the league is different than not selling out at the lowest ticket prices in the league.

 

[hoglund]

Why is it expected to sellout every game? Weekends and playoff games are expected, but weekday games should not be expected to be sellouts.

 

[Pilky01]

Why is it expected to sellout every game? Weekends and playoff games are expected, but weekday games should not be expected to be sellouts.

Because Canadians are supposed to just shut up and pay.

I haven't paid for a ticket to a Leafs game in over ten years. I have been to two games in that time period, both free tickets from a company I work with.