REVscene Automotive Forum - The Official 2010/2011 Canucks Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by !Nhan (Post 7169049)

The prices we have here don't compare to those in Toronto or MTL

We have the most expensive cheapest tickets if that means anything.

:lol

Quote:

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks tickets went on sale to the general public today at 10 a.m., and fans can expect to reach deeper into their wallets to see their favourite hockey stars at Rogers Arena.

A family of four can now expect to pay at least $290 to attend a match — that is, of course, they don't mind watching the Columbus Blue Jackets on a Tuesday night, walk to the arena and don't eat.

With the cheapest ticket now costing $65 — a $7.50 increase from last year — the club has the most expensive low-end ticket price in the National Hockey League. The next highest priced low-end ticket can be found in Edmonton for a relative bargain of $50.75.

Vancouver Canucks Chief Operating Officer Victor de Bonis said ticket prices increased by an average of about four per cent on top of the extra seven per cent HST charge. The same increases apply to some concession items as well, he said.

The $65 price tag for an upper-level seat in the "nosebleeds" only applies to 22 of the 41 home games as there are 19 "premium" games that will cost a Nucklehead $85. Premium games include popular opponents like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens or pre-game ceremonies.

At the other end, the most expensive ticket at Rogers Arena costs $246 for a regular game and $300 for a premium game. All of the tickets have an additional $8.50 in service charges.

The tickets are nonetheless in high demand as the club has sold 17,000 season tickets and has about 7,000 people waiting in line. Rogers Arena has a seating capacity of 18,810.

De Bonis said the club bases its prices on the demand for tickets, what other Canadian clubs are charging, and the secondary market.

"At the end of the day we feel [the prices are] pretty fair with the demand that we have," de Bonis said.

"We go across the Canadian clubs and try to be the middle of the road in pricing compared to other markets," he said.

Last year, according to the Team Marketing Report, the Canucks had the third highest average ticket cost in the league behind the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.

In Montreal similar upper-level seats sell for $64; however, the Canadiens offer tickets for as cheap as $29. Calgary and Toronto have tickets for as cheap as $35. In Ottawa you can stand for $15.

De Bonis said those tickets are cheaper because they are further away from the ice and often on a third level. Rogers Arena only has two levels.

"We look at the bowl configurations of all the rinks," he said.

And while at least 18 other NHL clubs have higher priced lower bowl seats, de Bonis said the market here wouldn't support higher prices for such seats in order to keep upper-level seats more affordable.

Seats similar to Vancouver's $65 upper-level corner seats cost far less in the U.S. The Chicago Blackhawks charge $40-55 for the main upper level. At Pittsburgh's new Console Center, which is similar in design to Rogers Arena, the highest seats cost $40.

Asked if it's fair to charge more money than teams that win championships, de Bonis said comparisons can't be made on a year-to-year basis. He said the Canucks have been relatively successful in the playoffs over the last four years.

The Canucks have made the second round of the playoffs three of the past four season. In that time 11 of 30 NHL teams have made the conference finals at least once.

De Bonis also said Canucks ticket prices are some of the highest in the league because ownership spends the most money it can on player salaries.

"We're fortunate that we have the ability to do that. You can lower prices and do all that stuff, but then we wouldn't be able to get the talent and players," he said.

This season the Canucks will spend about $69 million on player salaries despite the salary cap being at $59.4 million.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/V...#ixzz146NtI3Bh