Do You Believe That The Redwings Haven't Sold All Playoff Tickets? Why Is This? It's Hockey Town, For God Sake

Question

Is The Economy In Michigan, That Bad?

Answer 1

Doesn't surprise me. If the pens weren't there, i bet there would be more empty seats.

Answer 2

yeah Hockey Town... perhaps it was a joke!?

Answer 3

I checked the site also. If you look closer you will see that you may be buying tickets from someone who has already bought them. Another words, they are being re-sold on TicketMaster. So technically the seats are already SO for the most part, people are re-selling them for a profit.

Besides, for SC playoff tickets, $460 is nothing. We paid that much last year for nose bleed seats in Anaheim.

Answer 4

Well, if you were given the choice between going to a hockey game or feeding yourself and filling up your car, which would you choose?

Answer 5

Their probobaly asking too much d**n money for them, and people don't want to drive all the way to Detroit when gas is over $4.00 a gallon.

Answer 6

The bed, chair,  or couch is more comfortable being that it is free.  Plus I live in Grand Rapids, so that would also be another $60 gas, plus who knows how much parking.  Somehow blowing more than a weeks pay on going to a game seems somewhat ludicrous.  This coming from pretty much the biggest Wings fan EVER.

I also find friends houses and local sports bars  (BW3) also somewhat more accomodating.

Also at home I can drink beer, soda, food and whatever for under $5.  Not so at an arena.

Just know that there will be hoards of people watching this series in the comfort of their own home.

Maybe this is what the Wings brass needs to see in order to realize that playoff ticket prices are just too ridiculous.  Last time I checked it didn't cost them more to play playoff games, the playoffs are all profit to them anyway.

Answer 7

1. Because boredom has set in.  They are so used to being the cream of the crop,  competing for the cup is like "been there/done that".

2.  Blue collar town, bad economy, higher ticket prices, less discretionary funds.

3. Another playoff going on in the same time (Pistons/Celtics),  in fact the games are running simultaneously, therefore pulling the sports fans from both directions.....Not a bad problem to have I might add!!! --and probably the true reason

Another thing to remember...

Joe Louis holds > 20,000, the Mellon Arena only >17,000.

I know the Pens are building a new arena and I know at this moment in time they would have not problem selling the extra 3,000+ tickets, but given similar circumstances and being such similar cities demographically Pgh might even have trouble filling all the those seats on a yearly basis.

Answer 8

Even though I am a Red Wing fan...Minneapolis, St. Paul is hockeytown

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

no, i don't believe it.  the problem is those companies that practice auto purchase ticket buying online.  they then resale the tickets at a PRICE that is 4 or five times the original cost. (hi tech scalping). who would pay that?  that is why you see empty seats.

Answer 11

Like some posters have said: rough economy, Pistons, Tigers, and corporate ticket holders.  The JOE will be sold out by game time regardless.  There are 2 clubs, where the wealthy like to hang out...Olympia Club and the Champions Club (new this year) which makes it look like there are empty seats, but aren t really.  The JOE will be rockin, don't you worry.

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!

Not to mention the Joe has more seats than 90% of the other NHL rinks, 20,000 plus and have been selling out the regular season for years!

UPDATE>>

If your going, plan on being taken advantage of for parking, unfortunately!!  Park at the casino s or local bars and get shuttled for free....

Answer 12

If anyone were to check the local papers the Pistons are playing the Celtics in Detroit the same nights as the Wings Pens games. Be honest Americans, which is the bigger playoffs for American fans. Batman was on Toronto radio the other day and the problem with TV commitments made it impossible to change the dates. When you have a no risk no cost deal with the networks you lose.

Also in case anyone asks the Tigers are in town too.

Answer 13

Where do you live?

Imagine 20% of the work force in the that city losing its job in the last few years, and another 20% that has no clue when they will lose theirs. If you were in that second group, do you go out and spend $200 a ticket for a game? Also, I believe some other auto industry workers are affected by a strike at some other plant, a distributor to one of the big 3. Also imagine you could lose your job at any point of any day, and imagine all the expenses from day to day have risen about 20%!  We are talking about a major Employment wedge in the $30 to $70 dollar an hour range. That would take its toll on any city. Add in that the Tigers went out and spent millions on a team that on paper should compete for the ALCS, and the PISTONS are in the Eastern Finals of the NBA. You are taking a huge chunk of possible ticket buyers away and then giving the ones who still have the money 3 choices to spend what money they do have on tickets. Pittsburgh went thru this same thing years back when the steel industry went on the decline.

Answer 14

Anyone that lives in Detroit knows where those empty seats went.  The entire lower bowl is corporate seats.  They were sold but for some reason those people don't all come to the games.

Answer 15

Because the seats are between $100 - $1,000 for the seats and given the fact that Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 7% and gas is above $4/gallon, struggling Michiganders just can't afford that much for tickets.  I'm a die-hard hockey fan, have been for over 10 years now, and can't go because that's too much money to spend on a ticket.  Mike Illitich is taking advantage of a weak economy in Detroit and it's the REAL fans who suffer!

(Sorry about the mini rant there)

Answer 16

Not alot of people have an extra $200 (and more) to go to a hockey game.  Times are tough and with gas as expensive as it is some people might want to stay at home and watch it.

Answer 17

"Hockey Town", my ***

Answer 18

thats crazy they sell out in like 10 minutes in pittsburgh