Sabres sell-out the playoffs

[MayDay]

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.

That's bizarre, and kind of creepy, that it would be left in the exact same condition it was in the moment the final horn sounded over a decade ago. It's like a freaking time capsule.

Or like a western ghost-town, with poker cards and whiskey bottles still on the table in the saloon.

 

[Nova88]

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.

So only 1,480 STH got extra tickets, thats about 2.7 extra tickets per person.

 

[OG6ix]

What else is there to do in Buffalo? I'm actually privy to the situation there since I have ton of family that have lived there (many have moved) and I have visited plenty of times.

This really has nothing to do with a good or bad "hockey market" rather a good team in a city desperate for a winner.

 

[KeydGV21]

So only 1,480 STH got extra tickets, thats about 2.7 extra tickets per person.

It was 1500 STHers that got extras. Not sure where you're getting the 2.7 extra tickets per person though.

I assume you mean extra tickets bought by STHers but 12,900 people getting an extra 1500 is hardly 2.7 extra tickets per person.

 

[MayDay]

It was 1500 STHers that got extras. Not sure where you're getting the 2.7 extra tickets per person though.

I assume you mean extra tickets bought by STHers but 12,900 people getting an extra 1500 is hardly 2.7 extra tickets per person.

I think he assumed that season-ticket holders buying extras accounted for all the other seats in the arena, and divided the remaining number of seats by 1500 STHs buying extras. However, it's not the case, as there are many other groups who have dibs on seats before they would ever go on sale to the general public.

From the article:

In rough terms, season-ticket holders buying their own seats for the playoffs will gobble up 12,900 tickets per game. Minipack holders will account for 2,100, suite holders another 1,440, and seasonticket holders buying additional seats another 1,500.

That adds up to 17,940 tickets per game. The remaining 750 go to the players, the visiting team and the National Hockey League.

Edit: In case this isn't clear enough, it means that STHs buying extras got to buy exactly one extra ticket, not 2.7 or whatever.

 

[Mr BLUEandWHITE]

good to see, but I think this was expected as Buffalo is a great hockey city.

 

[Meichel Kane]

good to see, but I think this was expected as Buffalo is a great hockey city.

Pff, no, it's 18,690 bandwagoners every night

 

[Nova88]

It was 1500 STHers that got extras. Not sure where you're getting the 2.7 extra tickets per person though.

I assume you mean extra tickets bought by STHers but 12,900 people getting an extra 1500 is hardly 2.7 extra tickets per person.

ummm.... i meant 2.7 extra per person (that got the extra tickets as in 10% of all the STH). Anyways its wrong it probably closer to 2, b/cs of 750 tickets for players and NHL.

 

[MLH]

ummm.... i meant 2.7 extra per person (that got the extra tickets as in 10% of all the STH). Anyways its wrong it probably closer to 2, b/cs of 750 tickets for players and NHL.

It doesn't work that way. There are 13,000 season ticket holders in addition to the equivalent of 2,100 mini-pack holders (which works out obviously to (likely) 8,000 people or more that have rights to purchase playoff tickets). So that's ~21,000 people that have rights to get "extras". After all was said and done, there were 1,500 extras to give out. Since they stated that only 10% of people that wanted extras got them, 15,000 people made requests. They only give out the extra tickets on a 1:1 ratio. If you have 4 seats for your seasons, you can get up to 4 additional tickets on a first come-first serve basis.

 

[Blades of Glory]

Wait, a team really sold out their home playoff games? Oh my God, this clearly is so extraordinary! The Sabres are a pioneer of playoff marketing!

This happens in every single place except Nashville and Anaheim.

 

[MLH]

Wait, a team really sold out their home playoff games? Oh my God, this clearly is so extraordinary! The Sabres are a pioneer of playoff marketing!

This happens in every single place except Nashville and Anaheim.

Before going on sale to the general public?

 

[MayDay]

Wait, a team really sold out their home playoff games? Oh my God, this clearly is so extraordinary! The Sabres are a pioneer of playoff marketing!

This happens in every single place except Nashville and Anaheim.

Sigh. Obviously, you didn't read my previous post.

...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...

The point isn't that they are selling-out playoff games. The Sabres have always sold-out all their playoff games anyway, as most teams do.

The point is that they have sold out all their playoff tickets before they even go on sale and no playoff tickets will be sold to the general public, which is a new thing for Buffalo at least (although I know it is common in larger markets such as Toronto).

 

[KeydGV21]

Wait, a team really sold out their home playoff games? Oh my God, this clearly is so extraordinary! The Sabres are a pioneer of playoff marketing!

This happens in every single place except Nashville and Anaheim.

New Jersey didn't sell out all their games last year. Assuming you are correct in Nashville and Anaheim we're up to 18% of teams that couldn't sell out playoff games in the first two rounds last year. So yeah, a team selling out the first two without any going to the general public it is pretty damn impressive.

 

[Meichel Kane]

Wait, a team really sold out their home playoff games? Oh my God, this clearly is so extraordinary! The Sabres are a pioneer of playoff marketing!

This happens in every single place except Nashville and Anaheim.

That's not the point. They sold out before they even got to the general public, and most of the STHs who thought they could cash in by grabbing extra seats weren't even able to do that.

And the eBay prices are insane. Pairs of tickets on eBay with almost 9 days left are already over $150 (I saw one 100 level pair that was $405), and with the only pair I was even able to get a high bid on (round 2, lol) I was outbid in 10 minutes.

 

[TheSabre]

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.

Both points here are true. I watched Game 5 of the Carolina series at a theatre in Lockport. The place was absolutely packed.

 

[Sotnos]

And the eBay prices are insane. Pairs of tickets on eBay with almost 9 days left are already over $150 (I saw one 100 level pair that was $405), and with the only pair I was even able to get a high bid on (round 2, lol) I was outbid in 10 minutes.

Good god, the STHs who were able to get the extras are going to make a KILLING.

 

[Chainshot]

The insanity will amplify exponentially if the Habs or Leafs are the Sabres opponent.

 

[MoMiester]

I think it is good Sabres sold out but I am always amazed at how low the play-off ticket costs are in Buffalo. I talked to many Sabre fans last year about how much their ticket costs were and it was amazing how low the costs were.

Good the org does not raize beyond belief and keeps fans in the seats and creates demand, but I wish I could get a $20 3rd round playoff ticket. That would be nice.

 

[MLH]

Good the org does not raize beyond belief and keeps fans in the seats and creates demand, but I wish I could get a $20 3rd round playoff ticket. That would be nice.

So do I.

 

[MayDay]

I think it is good Sabres sold out but I am always amazed at how low the play-off ticket costs are in Buffalo. I talked to many Sabre fans last year about how much their ticket costs were and it was amazing how low the costs were.

Good the org does not raize beyond belief and keeps fans in the seats and creates demand, but I wish I could get a $20 3rd round playoff ticket. That would be nice.

Don't know where you got your information from, but you're way off-base on both counts. The cheapest playoff ticket for the first-round last year was $50. And prices only went up each subsequent round

Here's the pricing structure for the first-round last season:
200 Club Level $120
100 Level Preferred $110
100 Level II $95
100 Level III $80
300 Level I $60
300 Level II $50
(SOURCE)

And the Sabres have raised playoff ticket prices over last season. They've gone up an average of 7%, I heard.

 

[MLH]

Don't know where you got your information from, but you're way off-base on both counts. The cheapest playoff ticket for the first-round last year was $50. And prices only went up each subsequent round

Here's the pricing structure for the first-round last season:
200 Club Level $120
100 Level Preferred $110
100 Level II $95
100 Level III $80
300 Level I $60
300 Level II $50
(SOURCE)

And the Sabres have raised playoff ticket prices over last season. They've gone up an average of 7%, I heard.

The box office price for Round 1, 300 Level II's was going to be $95 this year. Those extras were scooped up at mini-pack prices ($93). So yeah, $20 tickets would be nice.

(To be fair, by putting a 20% deposit down on your seasons you could get round 1 games only at your season ticket price.)

 

[Insta]

What every season ticket holder should do is buy as many playoff seats as they can and then sell them on ebay. If the team makes it to the 3rd/4th rounds you will have payed off your main 2 playoff seats + gotten back a lot of money from the season ticket price you paid before the season.

 

[coolguy21415]

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.

While I agree with you, assuming that Buffalo only draws from the city of Buffalo would be equally absurd and useless. There's a population of well over 1 million in and around Buffalo and HSBC Arena. I once read that 20-30% (I can't remember that stat) of STH in Buffalo were actually Canadians crossing the border for the games.

 

[MoMiester]

Don't know where you got your information from, but you're way off-base on both counts. The cheapest playoff ticket for the first-round last year was $50. And prices only went up each subsequent round

Here's the pricing structure for the first-round last season:
200 Club Level $120
100 Level Preferred $110
100 Level II $95
100 Level III $80
300 Level I $60
300 Level II $50
(SOURCE)

And the Sabres have raised playoff ticket prices over last season. They've gone up an average of 7%, I heard.

I beleive it was the cost for STH, not box office. Maybe it was $27 or something people told me they got tickets for and no doubt, they were upstairs. Maybe I am wrong, but it sounded like a good deal for STH to remain fans.

 

[KeydGV21]

While I agree with you, assuming that Buffalo only draws from the city of Buffalo would be equally absurd and useless. There's a population of well over 1 million in and around Buffalo and HSBC Arena. I once read that 20-30% (I can't remember that stat) of STH in Buffalo were actually Canadians crossing the border for the games.

Yeah, but the Rangers get the people in outter area's as well.

It's generally assumed that about 20-30% of all people in the building are from Canada but I've never actually seen the stat. In any event, there is no way the Sabres are drawing from anywhere near the population base of 8,000,000 that NYC gets just from the city alone.