Tigers’ ticket sales break franchise record
The Detroit Tigers have sold more tickets this season than any other in their franchise history.
Some time Wednesday, the Tigers set an all-time record for ticket sales. In July. In a ballpark with less seating than Tiger Stadium. In an era with more entertainment choices and less disposable income than ever. In the worst economy in state history. I’m sure I could go on, but the point is clear: this is truly remarkable. New ticket sales will only continue to add up for the rest of the year.
It shows you what a great product and affordable ticket prices can do to game attendance.
Not surprisingly, the Wings have not lowered prices for the regular season, which wasn’t a surprise considering they sold out every home game. Admittedly, we saw plenty of empty seats on TV, but I know I had a hard time buying regular season tickets on Ticketmaster. I suspect that the Wings will slightly lower their playoff ticket prices since the team did not have a single sold out playoff game.
6/18 Wings’ notes
Speculation over the Joe Louis Arena lease has made the front page of The Detroit News with two articles in regards to the future of the Wings’ arena. Will they stay with the JLA and renovate it? Will the Red Wings play in a new hockey arena in the near future?
A decision needs to be made by August 16th if the Ilitch owners will pick up the option to extend the exclusive lease for another 20 years. Whatever the team’s decision, the articles made it clear that the Detroit Red Wings are currently getting a steal with their current lease.
Ilitch will decide whether to extend the lease — the city has no vote — and if the pact is extended, it will become even more favorable for him and the Red Wings.
Currently, the city imposes up to a 10 percent surcharge on tickets sold to events at Joe Louis and Cobo Arena; Detroit gets a cut of concessions and luxury suites.
If the lease is extended, the city will lose the surcharge — which brings in about $2.5 million a year — and, in five years, its share of concession and suite revenue. Council fiscal analyst Irv Corley, in a February report to the council on the lease, said the contract is “strongly in favor” of the Ilitch companies. He called it “convoluted” and questioned whether the city was receiving its fair share of concession sales.
The lease is much more lucrative than those of other teams. For example, the San Jose Sharks pay $1.6 million a year for the building and get a small percentage of ticket sales, but the team also chips in money for capital improvements and agreed to split with San Jose any profits from naming rights.
Stop the Michigan luxury tax
I received an email today from the Detroit Red Wings asking all those on the season ticket waiting list to help stop the Michigan luxury tax with a link to this website.
The Governor and the legislature are seriously considering putting a $100 million a year tax on every ticket to professional sporting events, shows, concerts, and movie tickets in Michigan. They are calling it a “luxury tax.â€
This tax would be 6% on all tickets for sporting events, movies, concerts, and shows.
According to a member at the Lets Go Wings forums, GM Ken Holland sent an email out to all the current season ticket holders and this is what it said:
Dear Detroit Red Wings Season Ticket Holder:
Discussion is currently underway in the Michigan Legislature regarding a possible tax on “luxury services,†which potentially could include tickets to professional sporting events.
As a loyal season ticket holder, we wanted to make you aware of these talks taking place in Lansing. If this issue is of interest to you, we would encourage you to contact your State Senator and State Representative to voice your opinion.
We appreciate the commitment you have made to our club and thank you for your continued support of the Detroit Red Wings!
Sincerely,
Ken Holland
General Manager
Why would Michigan consider doing this? Because this state is in such a huge deficit and needs a way to bring in money. Yes, I understand that this deficit needs to decrease and the money has to come from somewhere, but as a college student this sucks.
College students like myself pay for books, tuition, rent, food, and extras. In my free time, I like to go see movies or a attend a sporting event. Ticket prices at movie theaters and sports arenas are already expensive enough without a luxury tax.
Apparently Wings’ owner Mike Ilitch is one of the brains behind the website opposing this luxury ticket tax.
Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and other venues like the Fox Theatre and Bill Davidson, who owns the Detroit Pistons and several concert venues launched a Web site to get you to speak out about the tax. …
Opponents to the tax said it unfairly burdens Detroit, the biggest concert and sports venue area in the state.
The Detroit Tigers put up a press release on their website with the title “They already tax our work, don’t let them tax our play.”
A family of four with season tickets to the Tigers would be forced to pay new taxes ranging from $230 to more than $1,200 per year.
A family of four with season tickets to the Red Wings would be forced to pay new taxes from $597 to more than $1,900 per year.
The Ticket Tax Targets Families, Kids and Teenagers.
Taking your family to a ball game, a show, or a movie is one of the most cherished traditions in Michigan. It’s not a luxury. It’s the way we spend our hard earned money after all the taxes are taken out of our paychecks and all the bills are paid. It’s how teenagers spend their babysitting money and kids spend their allowances.
I sent a message to the Governor and my state representative. If you live in Michigan and attend any sporting event or go to the movies or go golfing, etc, please contact these people and ask them to stop the Michigan luxury tax!
Bettman comments on ticket prices
Thanks to Paul @ Kukla’s Korner for posting a transcript of Gary Bettman’s press conference before the SCF Game #1. One of the many questions he was asked was in regards to ticket prices, specifically those in Detroit.
Q. Gary, one of the things during the labor situation was I remember you saying that with the new economic system, teams would be able to charge less for ticket prices. I don’t think we’re seeing that. Getting a lot of emails from people, from Detroit and other playoffs, people here in Anaheim buying playoff tickets saying they couldn’t afford it. The amounts of money they were being asked to advance were crazy. We didn’t see any sell-outs in Detroit at any home games this spring. Where are the lower ticket prices?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Actually that’s a fair question, but a little off the mark. Detroit is having its own economic problems. If you see what’s happening with the other teams in Detroit, they’re either empty seats or heavy discounting. If you go back and check our ticket prices from four years ago and you look at our ticket prices now, on average, we’re actually a tad below where we were four years ago.
In that same period of time, the other sport ticket prices on average have gone up between 15 and 25 percent. What I said around the time of the work stoppage was the pressure on ticket prices would ameliorate somewhat. There wouldn’t be as much inflationary pressure. I think we’ve been true to that considering the fact that our prices are about, if not a little bit less than, they were four years ago.
Nothing in this world holds price to what it was three, four, five years ago. Just look at gasoline prices. But with respect to our ticket prices, relative, particularly to the other sports, we have not been on an inflationary track.
Ilitch buys another property
The Ilitch family bought another empy downtown property through Ilitch Holding’s Olympia Development LLC real estate arm. This purchase only fueled speculation the Ilitch family will be building a new hockey arena for the Detroit Red Wings to use when their lease with Joe Louis Arena expires in 2009.
The historic building is next to the former Chin Tiki, recently bought by Olympia for Ilitch Holdings, owners of the Little Caesars Pizza chain, the Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Hockeytown Cafe and Fox Theatre.
The Moose lodge is three blocks west of the Fox Theatre headquarters of Ilitch Holdings in a blighted 15-block area the Ilitches view as a potential major hub of entertainment, sports and retail.
The Ilitches also recently won the right to renovate the city-owned Grand Army of Republic building, which is bounded by the three-way intersection of Cass, Grand River and West Adams. It’s a block away from the Moose building.
The flurry of activity comes at a time when the Ilitch family is fast approaching a deadline on whether to build a hockey venue or renovate Joe Louis Arena.
Buy an old English D hat
Ever since I talked about merchandise sales of the Detroit sports’ teams last week, I’ve been getting a ton of hits on my website from people searching for the old English D hats that the Red Wings and Tigers have been wearing lately. Until yesterday, I hadn’t been able to find where you could purchase them online, but BTJ reader Shane was kind enough to forward me a link.
You can buy the hat online at The Goalies’ Den website. The Goalies Den is a store in Troy, MI that sells sports memorabilia for primarily the Tigers and Wings teams. I’ve been there a few times and the owners are really nice and helpful so you can trust this store. I also suggest going there for affordable jerseys if you’re looking to buy one.
The hats are $25.95 + shipping and come in two sizes (Small/Medium and Medium/Large).
You can check out how the hats look on Kris Draper, Henrik Zetterberg, and Pavel Datsyuk in their press conference prior to this series.
Source: Detroit Red Wings
Wings compete for attention
As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the Detroit Red Wings are competing for the attention (and money) of Detroit and southeastern Michigan sports fans. Thus far, the results have been mixed.
Two Saturdays ago, the Wings topped the Pistons, Tigers, and Lions in local ratings by almost 2 points. On Monday, the Detroit Pistons were playing game two of their second round (which they won) while the Wings beat San Jose in game six of the second round. The Pistons drew in the higher ratings for Monday night.
Game 2 on TNT posted a higher rating locally than the Red Wings’ close-out game at San Jose on Monday. The Pistons-Bulls pulled a 13.6 share, to the Wings’ 10.1 on FSN Detroit.
With the recent success of three of the four big professional sports in the Detroit market, sales for all three teams’ merchandise have remained high or even increased. The Detroit Tigers have become the second best selling MLB team in term of merchandise sales in the country. The New York Yankees remain number one.
What’s their best seller of late? A red baseball cap with the old English D in white. I recently purchased that hat at a Tigers’ game this season after I saw some Red Wings’ players wearing it. I can wear this hat to both Tigers’ and Wings’ games. It’s a good investment if you ask me.
One cross-team and rather unique Detroit fan favorite this year is a red baseball cap emblazoned with an Old English “D.”
“A week ago the players wore them on the field for batting practice, and suddenly everyone was looking for them,” says Steve Graus, merchandising/authentics manager for the Detroit Tigers.
Even Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been spotted wearing a red “D” ball cap, and it’s the top-selling hat for the Red Wings. Once the Tigers started stocking it at Comerica Park, the caps have sold briskly, with only a few left last week.
Due in part to the Wings’ success over the past decade and its large market appeal, the Wings have been at the top of the NHL in terms of merchandise sales for over a decade.
Nationally, the Red Wings have sold enough red jerseys, hats and mufti to be No. 1 or No. 2 in National Hockey League sales for more than a decade. This year, the team is No. 2 behind the resurgent Buffalo Sabres, who sit in the top spot. Blame the Sabres’ sudden heat, as well as southeastern Michigan’s economic doldrums.
There are several reasons why the Wings are NHL classics in good times or bad.
“It’s a very cool logo,” says Matt Powell, analyst for SportsOneSource, which tracks sales of licensed product in the U.S. “It’s an old school logo, but very cool, clean and retro-looking. So there’s a little bit of a fashion element there.
“And the Detroit fans have been more loyal to their team, especially compared to other ‘original six’ teams. You always see a team who’s doing well jump up in the sales ratings if they haven’t done well in the past. But like the Yankees in baseball, the Red Wings always dominate in hockey sales.”
Despite the fact that Steve Yzerman has retired, his items remain the number one seller in Hockeytown in hockey merchandise. Ben Wallace, the heart and soul of the Pistons, left for Chicago this past offseason. He used to be the top seller in Detroit, but point gaurd Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton have passed him. Newcomer (and DCDS alum - go Yellowjackets!) Chris Webber is quickly gaining in popularity.
Here are the top names for the Tigers, Pistons, and Wings:
DETROIT PISTONS
1. Chauncey Billups
2. Richard “Rip” Hamilton
3. Tayshaun Prince
4. Rasheed Wallace
5. Chris Webber
DETROIT RED WINGS
1. Steve Yzerman
2. Nicklas Lidstrom
3. Henrik Zetterberg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Chris Chelios (next is Todd Bertuzzi, if you take Yzerman out of the running)
DETROIT TIGERS
1. Gary Sheffield
2. Joel Zumaya
3. Justin Verlander
4. Brandon Inge
5. Curtis Granderson
(Where’s Pudge? Ivan Rodriguez ranks sixth.)
Did anyone else catch that about Todd Bertuzzi? It would seem that Detroit has welcomed him with open arms. While he has yet to regain his pre-back surgery form, I’m hoping that GM Ken Holland re-signs him next year (but at a smaller salary).
All three teams are in the top five of their league in term of merchandise sales. The Red Wings and Tigers are second in the league while the Pistons come in at number five. New York is the only other city to have more than one team in the top five. The New York Yankees lead the league in sales while the New York Rangers were fourth in the NHL.
I’ve been most impressed with the Buffalo Sabres increase in merchandise sales. Last season, they sold 3.4% of the league’s merchandise. This year? 23.6%. I think it’s safe to say that the Wings had the biggest drop in sales. Last year, the Wings dominated the market with 42.3% of NHL sales. This season? Only 22.2%.
NHL top sellers
(This year’s percentage/last year’s)
1. Buffalo Sabres 23.6 3.4
2. Detroit Red Wings 22.2 42.3
3. Pittsburgh Penguins 21.6 5.1
4. New York Rangers 5.5 5.8
5. New Jersey Devils 3.6 5.7
Wings’ ticket sales
Last week, I explained some of the reasons behind the no sellouts at Red Wings’ playoff games. Yesterday, I looked at TV ratings for the Wings and NHL. Scott Burnside at ESPN talked about Wings’ ticket sales in his recent column:
There’s been much debate about the empty seats at Detroit’s venerable Joe Louis Arena this playoff season. But a little perspective, please.
After failing to sell out the team’s six home playoff games so far, Hockeytown might have taken a few knocks. But anyone concerned the Red Wings are heading down the slippery slope of decline first popularized by the Chicago Blackhawks need not worry.
A number of factors have contributed to what is a modest falling off in arena fan support.
First, the local economy, which is so dependent on the moribund domestic car industry, is in the dumps. The Wings also hiked ticket prices for the playoffs, and the casual fans haven’t anted up as they have in the past. The price increase may be one factor, but another is the unprecedented competition for the attention of the Detroit sports fan.
When the Wings were the toast of the town through the 1990s, the Tigers were junk, the Lions were, well, the Lions and the Pistons weren’t a factor. Now, the Tigers are coming off a trip to the World Series and the Pistons are a league force and are likewise in the second round of the playoffs. The Red Wings, meanwhile, have not advanced beyond the second round since their last Stanley Cup win in 2002.
Throw all these factors in the hopper and you’ve got a recipe for empty seats.
Still, the Red Wings remain the marquee team in the local sports market. Last weekend, when the Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings were all playing and the NFL draft was under way, a quarter of all Detroit homes were tuned in to sports and the Red Wings were the top draw.
Analyzing Red Wings’ ticket sales
I read an interesting comment left below this Detroit Free Press column by Michael Rosenberg regarding the lack of sellouts at Red Wings’ playoff games. The comment said:
“Thousands of empty seats? Hmmm. Is that happening at Comerica Park and the Palace too? If not, maybe the problem is the Wings.
But if all major Motown sports franchises are showing lower attendance, it might have something to do with tens of thousands of people either leaving town or considering it. It’s hard to justify big entertainment expenses when one has neither a job nor good prospects for selling one’s home.
That got me thinking. I decided to compare the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Red Wings in terms of ticket prices and sellouts/no sellouts. I chose to compare the Pistons and Wings because both teams play 82 regular season games. Both are popular and successful teams (each have won a championship since 2002). Both start the playoffs around the same time.
I felt that a direct comparison to the Tigers would be unfair because they have more home games and play their season during the summer when people tend to have more free time. And I didn’t include the Lions because, they’re the Lions, and people go to the games no matter what.
I have no fast conclusion, but what I found was interesting.
Arena Capacity
The Palace of Auburn Hills (the Pistons’ arena) seats 22,076 people. The Palace is the second largest NBA arena. Joe Louis Arena (the Wings’ arena) seats 20,066 individuals. So the Pistons have room for just over 2000 more people. While that may allow them to offer lower ticket prices, the difference in seats isn’t so large to disregard the stats (in my opinion).
Sellouts?
The Pistons have played two home playoff games so far this postseason (they lead the series, 3-0, by the way). They sold out in both games. The Red Wings have played four home playoff games so far (three in the first round and one in the second). They have sold out none of those games.
How did the two teams finish the regular season?
The Pistons won the Eastern Conference and clinched the number one seed. The Red Wings topped the Western Conference and also received the number one seed.
How have the teams done since 2000?
In 2000, the Pistons lost to the Miami Heat in the first round. They missed the playoffs in the following year. They made it to the Conference semifinals in 2002, but lost to Boston. The Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2003, but were swept by New Jersey. They won the NBA championship in 2004 over the LA Lakers. They reached the NBA finals in 2005, but lost to the Spurs. In 2006, the Pistons lost to eventual champs Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. They are currently leading the first round of the 2007 playoffs. In total, the Pistons has had 7/8 playoff appearances. They reached the Eastern Conference finals twice, but lost the series. They reached the NBA finals two times with one championship in 2004.
In 2000, the Red Wings lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Colorado Avalanche. The following year, Detroit lost to the LA Kings in the first round. In 2002, the Wings won the Stanley Cup. They were swept the following year by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In 2004, Detroit lost the conference semifinals to the Calgary Flames. Due to the lockout, there was no season and thus no playoff action in 2005. The Wings lost to the Oilers in the first round for the 2006 playoffs. This postseason, they are down 1-0 in the conference semifinals against the San Jose Sharks. In total, the Wings had 7/7 possible playoff appearances. They reached the conference semifinals twice, but lost. The Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup finals once and won the cup.
By comparing the last seven years, the Pistons have had more success in the playoffs. However, if you look at the seasons between 1990 and 2000, the Wings have played significantly better. They missed only one playoff series in 1990, won two Stanley Cup titles, and reached the finals once where they lost to the NJ Devils. In that same timespan, the Pistons missed the playoffs four times, lost in the first round five times, lost in the conference finals once, and won the NBA title in 1990 with the Bad Boys. The Wings obviously have the edge in the 1990s.
What are the ticket prices like?
Unfortunately, I’m really struggling to find ticket prices (for the Pistons) since you can’t look at Ticketmaster for old games.
First round ticket prices for the Wings were $63 (nosebleeds), $68 (standing room only), $81, $99, $126, and $144. Remember, that’s without Ticketmaster’s service charge fees. And that does not include the $15 for parking. During the regular season, the most expensive ticket was $85 and the cheapest was $22.
According to Team Marketing’s report on the fan cost index, the average Wings’ regular season ticket price was $43.13 (which was exactly equivalent to the league average). So the Wings organization is not charging their fans ridiculous prices in the regular season.
It’s a different matter in the postseason. The cheapest playoff ticket is $20 more than their average ticket price in the regular season. Around 2500 season ticket holders had to pass on playoff tickets because they couldn’t afford them. It was either watch the playoffs this year or get season tickets for next year and with the Wings’ recent playoff performances, they chose to watch the 41 regular season home games.
The Pistons’ playoff tickets are in such great demand that they held a lottery for 1000 tickets to the first two games of round one. What was the price of those tickets? $12. Yep, the cheapest Pistons’ playoff ticket was $51 cheaper than the Wings’ cheapest tickets. I would be totally happy if the Wings had 1000 seats for $12. You bet I’d get there in line for that lottery. As a college student, I can afford $12. I could even get friends who don’t watch much hockey to go. Unfortunately, it’s hard to convince friends who are also poor college students to splurge $63 for nosebleed seats especially if they aren’t a hardcore fan. I spent $250 to go to two games.
Fans had to be at the Palace for the lottery, but the team had four players there signing autographs to help pass the time.
Four Pistons - Lindsey Hunter, Jason Maxiell, Nazr Mohammed and Flip Murray - were in the West Atrium signing autographs and taking pictures with ticket buyers on their way to the box office window.
How bad is the Detroit economy?
I know a lot of you non-Michiganders have heard that the Detroit/Michigan economy is poor and probably don’t realize how bad it really is. Between the Big 3 automobile companies (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) cutting jobs and losing money, Pfizer leaving Ann Arbor, and Comerica Bank moving their headquarters, Detroit has hit some rough times. I know personally, my family’s lifestyle has really changed. My parents own their own company and had 65 employees before 9/11. Today they have 14 employees.
Michigan’s unemployment rate is 6.5% (it was closer to 3% before 9/11). The national unemployment rate is 4.4%.
Our poor economy can be seen through the housing market as well and the amount of foreclosures. Plus, our taxes are rising while property values are falling.
Continuing a trend from 2006, metro Detroit posted the highest rate of real estate foreclosures of the nation’s largest 100 metro areas during the first three months of 2007, with one foreclosure filing for every 51 households.
Michigan, which ranked fourth highest among states, saw an increase in foreclosures of nearly 30% from a year ago.
Plus, the future does not look too bright. Graduates from Michigan universities are leaving the state in large numbers.
According to New United Van Lines Data, Michigan tops the nation in 2007 for the rate of outbound moving grads. This means more recent graduates living in Michigan are leaving the state in greater numbers than anywhere else in the country. But what is causing this mass exodus of students? The statistics are startling.
According to a Bizjournal survey, Michigan has topped the nation as the worst economy for prospective job-seekers. Detroit, which ranks 66th overall, is the metro area with the bleakest outlook for workers in their 20s and 30s. The problems besetting domestic automakers, combined with the erosion of Detroit’s manufacturing base, have caused the area to lose 105,100 jobs in the past five years.
Some experts believe that it will take more than a decade for the auto industry to even begin recovering from record losses, leaving students battling for jobs that don’t exist.
I know many Detroit sports fans used to go support multiple Detroit teams especially in the playoffs. However, this poor economy has forced many to make a decision. It seems that these sports fans have gone with the cheaper tickets and more successful teams over the last year (ie. Pistons and the Detroit Tigers, who made it to the World Series last season). Unfortunately, it seems that the Wings are at the bottom of the list and their high ticket prices don’t help.
What do others think?
Reactions to the Wings lack of sellouts by bloggers and members of the media.
Michael Rosenberg’s column in the Detroit Free Press:
Between the second and third periods, I went online to find tickets to Game 2. Just my luck: I could get 12 seats together in Section 225B. Unfortunately, I can’t possibly find 11 friends who want to spend $90 a pop to sit in the corner of the upper level (and pay a $5.75 “convenience charge” for the privilege).
Of course, if my buddies don’t mind standing, they can pay $77 each — plus that same $5.75 convenience charge. (Whoever heard of a convenience charge to stand up?)
I don’t blame people for staying home. People can spend their money however they’d like. It is just too bad that Mike Ilitch has chosen to alienate his fan base like this, by acting like the economy is still thriving and the Wings are still the only winner in town.
In the last few years, we have seen the state unemployment rate rise, the Pistons become one of the best franchises in sports, the Tigers make the World Series, Steve Yzerman retire and the Wings’ payroll drop from almost $78 million in 2004 to $44 million this year. Yet the Wings expect fans to open the checkbook as they did in 2002.
Playoff ticket prices have dropped 10% from their peak, but they remain too high.
The Wings have clearly misjudged the market. And it’s sad, because — all kidding aside — I think a lot of people would jump on this bandwagon if the prices were reasonable.
The Toronto Star:
Maybe Detroit fans are becoming too blasé about a team that just keeps on winning. Maybe it’s the economy – this rust-belt city is taking a big hit due a downturn in the automotive sector. Maybe the ticket prices are too high. It costs $77 US for a standing-room ticket. The empty seats cost $90 US.
Maybe the Pistons and Tigers are just too much competition. And it won’t be an easy sell Saturday with the NFL draft on television at the same time as the hockey game, and fans here wondering who their Lions will pick.
“The state isn’t in a great financial situation, but we just got to go out and play regardless if it’s a sellout or half full,†said Maltby. “The crowd is still into it, and if we could have scored a goal, I don’t think you would have noticed anything.
“If you’re going to let an empty seat throw you off your game or worry you, you’re going to be in trouble. Tickets aren’t cheap and it’s no secret the state of the economy. It’s not just the car business, it’s a whole trickle effect.â€
Wall Street Journal’s The Daily Fix:
Part of the boredom stemmed from a surprisingly sparse, and quiet, Detroit crowd. Michael Rosenberg attempts to remind the city about its once-beloved franchise: “Surely you remember the Red Wings. Hockey team … perennially in the playoffs … the guys like to skate around with the Stanley Cup every few years … does any of this ring a bell?” Mr. Rosenberg writes in the Detroit Free Press. “There were thousands of empty seats at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. The Wings gave the official attendance as 18,712, but I suspect they meant limbs.”
James Mirtle at Globe on Hockey:
You’re right, Tim — it is sad to see Joe Louis Arena sit partially empty for a playoff game, especially when there was an 11-year sellout streak heading into the game. But it’s also fairly predictable given the way ticket prices were hiked for the playoffs, and the resulting fan backlash online.
Upper-bowl tickets for season-ticket holders nearly doubled for Round 1 from what they were in the regular season, and the team asked for huge sums of cash upfront for the first two rounds of the postseason. Hockey Night in Canada reported around 2,500 season-ticket holders decided against buying the packages, which is 15 to 20 per cent of the team’s (rapidly evaporating) season-ticket holder base.
Last fall, the sudden disappearance of the Red Wings’ longstanding season-ticket waiting list foretold the potential problems at the gate — but it took the price hike for fans to stay away.
If you decide you want to go, tickets are available through the Joe Louis Arena box office or on the Detroit Red Wings website. They range from $63 U.S. to $144. “The problem down here is the economy,†said Devellano. “The auto sector is in the dumper and it’s hard to sell out a 20,000-seat arena when people have to pay their mortgages.â€
On the positive they still have 17,000 season tickets holders and as the team advances in the playoffs the later rounds sell out fast.
But the first round is always a little tougher which creates an opportunity for hockey fans here. “It would be great to see them,†Jimmy said of the Ontario fans.
But the fan enthusiasm that surrounded the Tigers turn-around last season hasn’t spread to the Wings so far, perhaps due in part to the team’s disappointing finishes in recent years.
On Wednesday, several hundred tickets were still available in all price ranges for tonight’s game.
On average, about 174,000 Metro Detroit households are watching the playoff games on FSN Detroit, a 150 percent gain from the regular season, according to Nielsen ratings released by the network.
But that’s a far cry from the frenzy in 2004, when about 250,000 local households were watching the games.
“The excitement is getting there,” said Tim Bryan, a spokesman for FSN Detroit. “There’s definitely more interest that we’re in the playoffs. This is a huge sports town.” …
“We have to decide between Red Wings playoff tickets now, or save up and hope the Tigers make another run for the pennant,” said Rogers, who estimated his family attended a half-dozen hockey games and an equal number of baseball games last year.
“If they go deeper in the playoffs, I’d consider paying for those tickets but not for the early rounds.”
Red Wings ticket sales for the first round against the Calgary Flames were OK, team spokesman John Hahn said, but as the series moved forward, more people started buying tickets for future playoff games.
Dave at Gorilla Crouch:
Rosenberg points out that there is a lot of competition for the attention of Detroit sports fans as every professional sports franchise not named the Detroit Lions has been excellent of late. That, combined with a difficult economic situation in Michigan, is going to force the Red Wings to drop ticket prices if they want to continue to sell out games.
Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated:
The last time the arena seemed this moribund was when Steve Yzerman was barely old enough to shave. Of course, there were no-shows in the stands during the regular season, but unsold tickets and a game presentation Thursday that failed to match the originality and passion that has come to be associated with the Red Wings truly was shocking.
“That was something I wasn’t expecting,” Rivet said. “I looked up in the stands and there was a lot of empty seats there. That’s really uncharacteristic of Detroit.”
The problem is a downturn in the local economy and an upturn in the fortunes of the Tigers, Wings owner Mike Ilitch’s other big sports property. Detroit’s surprising appearance in the World Series in 2006 became an economic drain on the Wings, who are just another competitor for the sports entertainment dollar here. Without being able to ice a lineup of Hall of Fame players circa 1997 and 1998 due to the constraints of a salary cap, some of the Red Wings glitz is gone. Not that the place is about to become the Meadowlands of Michigan, but if Hockeytown wavers, the NHL must be concerned about traditionally softer markets.
Overall
Obviously, I’d love to see the Joe packed and rocking. Unfortunately between the economy, ticket prices, and the increase in people willing to spend their money on other teams (Tigers/Pistons), Red Wings have failed to sell out this postseason. Maybe this will send a message to owner Mike Ilitch to lower playoff tickets for the future.
I honestly don’t know if we will see a change next year. If Ilitch can still sell out a majority of the arena at those high prices, he may make more profit than he would if it was 100% full at cheaper ticket prices. It’s all about making money. I’m also curious to see when the Wings fail to sell out in the regular season. With the season ticket waiting list rapidly dwindling, it seems only a matter of time.
Plenty of playoff tickets available
I can’t even explain it. It’s 2:20pm on Tuesday afternoon and there are still plenty of playoff tickets to buy. I’ve never been able to get playoff tickets on Ticketmaster before and this year there seem to be plenty. Yes, I know tickets went on sale at 10am, but there was a presale yesterday and I guess I expected there to be less tickets available.
As of right now, you can buy…
Section 111 Row 7 (2 seats / lower bowl) for $144 to Game #1 of Round 1
Section 210 Row 2 (2 seats / upper bowl) for $126 to Game #1 of Round 1
Section 212A Row 22 (2 seats / upper bowl) for $63 (cheapest ticket aside from SRO) to Game #1 of Round 1
I’m not going to check other games, but it looks like you could get some great seats if you buy now!!