TBN: Sabres planning experiment to make sure their fans get first chance at tickets

[Jim Bob]

The Buffalo Sabres hope a new experiment in the stands you might call “the hometown advantage” will give them a much better home-ice advantage in KeyBank Center.

The team is finalizing plans to limit the presale for games, likely by ZIP code, in an attempt to cut down the number of visiting-team fans in the building.
Official plans have yet to be released, but it’s clear where this is targeted: It’s about reducing the number of Canadian fans in the building for visits by Toronto and Montreal, the number of Pennsylvania fans in the house when Pittsburgh is here. Same for the number of downstate fans coming to see the New York Rangers, or Michigan fans following the Detroit Red Wings.

“Obviously last year, there were a handful of games where we saw the wrong color blue or the wrong color red coming into the building, depending on the jersey we were wearing,” Frank Batres-Landaeta, the team’s vice president of sales and service, told The Buffalo News. “It’s something that we’ve been talking about and discussing and trying to figure out: How do we get tickets in the hands of Buffalo fans?”

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[MOGlLNY]

Must be pretty confident in ticket sales this year, good to hear.

I know I'm deciding between jobs over the next couple weeks and may be moving back. If that's the case I'll definitely be getting a half a season pack.

 

[Chainshot]

In past seasons, the Rangers and Islanders fans in attendance were usually a lot of clubs/organizations out of both UB and Buff State. As for Leaf fans, are they going to limit season ticket re-sale?

 

[slip]

Here's a crazy experiment: win more home games than you lose.

 

[Jacob582]

Pegula making it harder to give him money in the name of having a winning team?

 

[Royal Thunder]

Good, absolutely hate watching home games where the crowd is 70% leafs

 

[Ehran]

Must be pretty confident in ticket sales this year, good to hear.

I know I'm deciding between jobs over the next couple weeks and may be moving back. If that's the case I'll definitely be getting a half a season pack.

Eh, depends on how they implement this.

If they have say a 2 week window when tickets first go on sale that limits purchases to WNY / Southern Ontario zip codes, but then opens it up after that period, I don't think that will deter the Toronto etc., fans. They'll purchase once it opens up for them.

I don't think it will cut back overall ticket sales much, just give Sabres fans first option at the better tickets.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

The thing that makes doing something like this really tough is where do you draw the line in southern Ontario? There are diehard Sabres fans all throughout the horseshoe who could be innocent casualties of this. Do you draw the line at St Catherines? Hamilton? etc.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

In past seasons, the Rangers and Islanders fans in attendance were usually a lot of clubs/organizations out of both UB and Buff State. As for Leaf fans, are they going to limit season ticket re-sale?

They are not doing that. Good luck to them if they do.

 

[Selanne00008]

Sounds like they are putting their money where their mouth is. If they are wining then there is enough demand to pull something like this. Otherwise wouldn't you risk not filling the building at all?

Maybe they only release sales to all zip codes <72 hours to puck drop or something like that.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

I like the idea, as long as Buffalo fans actually fill up the building. But as others mentioned, I’m not sure how they execute this.

How would they limit season tickets holders from reselling tickets? Are they going to put a zip code restriction on season ticket holders reselling? I don’t see that going over well. Many season tickets holders make a good chunk of their money back selling tickets to leafs fans (or at least I know they used to…).

And where do you draw the line in regards to zip code? The Sabres do have a fan base in Canada.

Also, when you get games where the opposing fans fill up 1/2 the arena, it can make for a more rowdy crowd since both fan bases go back & forth cheering against each other.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I like the idea, as long as Buffalo fans actually fill up the building. But as others mentioned, I’m not sure how they execute this.

How would they limit season tickets holders from reselling tickets? Are they going to put a zip code restriction on season ticket holders reselling? I don’t see that going over well. Many season tickets holders make a good chunk of their money back selling tickets to leafs fans (or at least I know they used to…).

And where do you draw the line in regards to zip code? The Sabres do have a fan base in Canada.

Also, when you get games where the opposing fans fill up 1/2 the arena, it can make for a more rowdy crowd since both fan bases go back & forth cheering against each other.

Let’s see Sabres fan pay triple the base season price for a Leafs game. They won’t. The team will give priority to local fans who will still sell them unless they can find some intrinsic value greater than what a Leafs fan will pay.
And the Bruins on a Tuesday. Sure go ahead and restrict sales and deal with less fans in the actual seats.
All you have to do is look at where these opposing fans during games — the lower bowl — and you can see Sabres can only charge more because these people from Ontario will pay it.

 

[brian_griffin]

Is this even legal in a business (NHL) with anti-trust exemptions?

 

[Diaspora]

I don't think the NHL has antitrust exemptions. I thought only MLB did.

 

[Gras]

I like the idea, as long as Buffalo fans actually fill up the building. But as others mentioned, I’m not sure how they execute this.

How would they limit season tickets holders from reselling tickets? Are they going to put a zip code restriction on season ticket holders reselling? I don’t see that going over well. Many season tickets holders make a good chunk of their money back selling tickets to leafs fans (or at least I know they used to…).

And where do you draw the line in regards to zip code? The Sabres do have a fan base in Canada.

Also, when you get games where the opposing fans fill up 1/2 the arena, it can make for a more rowdy crowd since both fan bases go back & forth cheering against each other.

It literally says PRESALE in the article.

 

[brian_griffin]

I don't think the NHL has antitrust exemptions. I thought only MLB did.

Both football and hockey have limited anti-trust exemptions.

 

[Jim Bob]

Is this even legal in a business (NHL) with anti-trust exemptions?

Are they doing anything to limit competition by colluding with other teams?

 

[Dingo44]

I hope I'm OK when I come in from NC for a game in Buffalo. Of course I can just have one of my buddies there buy it.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

What this policy fails to consider is the reality that the Sabres themselves are jacking up prices for these games with huge out of town throngs. So unless, they plan to sell at the weekday price point that 100 level seat that might sell for $90 + at box office under normal circumstances and is $200 for Leafs (at the box office), Ontario people will buy it. I suppose they could say only Buffalo zip codes and you can’t transfer tickets but that seems logistically impossible.
What is likely happen is because the team is actually no longer horse bleep, more locals will be at the game with heavy leaning towards the cheaper seats. The Leaf idiots will dominate the 100s for this game like the always do but it won’t be as ridiculous as the past.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Lots of Sabres fans are from Fort Erie and the Niagara Region, the Niagara Region should be including in those presale postal codes if they want this experiment to work fully

 

[paulmm3]

Restricting ticket purchases for certain games by zip code will certainly make fewer people able and willing to buy tickets. Which should make ticket prices and team gate revenue lower. If that's a hit management understands and is willing to take to get more local fans in the stands, I'm all for it.

 

[HOOats]

Interesting as the first significant business change announced under Roth. I like it. Also doing our part to combat the looming catastrophic Canadian consumer debt bubble.

 

[Jim Bob]

Nobody, including the team, knows how this will work out. That is why they are talking about experimenting with it.

I think experimenting with new ideas and seeing how they work out is something that we need more of in the world.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

They already held the season holders presale, and we could buy eight extras to any game we wanted at box office price, including the two Leafs games. Many of those tickets will end up in the hands of Toronto fans. A given.

 

[brian_griffin]

They already held the season holders presale, and we could buy eight extras to any game we wanted at box office price, including the two Leafs games. Many of those tickets will end up in the hands of Toronto fans. A given.

And for all the crap I and others (more vocally) give you on some of your views, I appreciate your commitment to seasons / attendance. I'm not local to WNY, but will let you know if I'm ever attending a game at KBC / possibly meet in person.