[The Province] Loads of Canucks playoff tickets available raising questions about Vancouver market

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Loads of Canucks playoff tickets available raising questions about Vancouver market:

If you’re looking for Canucks playoff tickets, you’re in luck.

Seats are available. Lots of them. All those dark blue dots could be yours. In fact, it looks like entire rows can be had in the lower bowl.

You can take your pick too. Seats remain in every section of the Rogers Arena lower bowl for the first game of the playoffs. Obviously there were plenty of season ticket holders who said no thanks when given first crack at the postseason tickets this year.

It probably says more about the price point than interest in the team, but it sure raises all kinds of questions.

Often tickets for event games like the postseason are stockpiled by the secondary market, and sold through sites like StubHub. But not even scalpers want a piece of the Canucks this year. They know they can’t make any money .

Why?

There’s been a downward-sloping demand curve in Vancouver and there are several factors, including the lockout, a team many view as stale and that team’s renewed commitment this year to play a more defensive style. You know, boring.

Mix in a fan base which has incredibly high expectations, one that has apparently allowed itself to be spoiled by a few division titles and one run to the Stanley Cup final.

The joke last year was Canucks fans didn’t care until the playoffs. Now, there’s a suggestion they won’t care until Round 2. If that’s true, when would they care if the Canucks ever won a Stanley Cup?

Winning hasn’t impacted the Chicago Blackhawks. They’re all sold out for Game 1.

Maybe the fans have been over indulged with success after winning back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies. But the Canucks have made it out of the second round once in 19 years. That’s like spoiling your girlfriend with a Cactus Club brunch and a matinee to see The Rock. Not bad, but she’s not going to make a photo album out of it and reminisce years later.

The levelling off — or cratering — supply has been met with an upward sloping price curve. In other words, greed.

And you start to wonder if the Canucks are at risk of starting to price themselves out of the market. The tickets available in the above pic go for $255 a piece. That’s $510 just for your two tickets just to start your night out.

The same tickets to see the Anaheim Ducks in a similar section are $115. Maybe that’s why the Ducks have sold more playoff tickets in the lower bowl than the Canucks.

Not sure the Canucks are concerned, but they have to be noticing.

Coincidentally, the team is dispatching assistant GM Laurence Gilman and COO Victor de Bonis to local radio stations Monday. The team requested they come in to do a couple of minutes on air on each station to give away tickets and promote the Canucks’ “Playoff Initiatives.”

I’m guessing the No. 1 initiative is sell more tickets.

http://blogs.theprov...ncouver-market/

[deized_kanuck604]

The prices are retarded!!!

[MJDDawg]

The prices are retarded!!!

[canuckelhead70]

a message being sent to the owners, price accordingly or you'll get empty seats. Then again what do they care, they don't pay the players now so everything is gravy for them.......

[jovocop55]

prices are way too expensive.. $150 for nosebleed is nuts

[The Magician]

The day that a california team sells out in the playoffs and a canadian team doesn't...

[Cpt_scary]

this actually makes me sad.. playoffs are supposed to be an exciting time of year. physical faster paced games played in front of energized arenas.. instead because of these inflated ticket prices our boys end up playing in front of a 3/4 full building or a full building of suits with their mouths glued shut

[Airjasper]

Definitely a reflection of how terrible the tickets are priced...Having said that i'm still kind of surprised it wasn't an instant sell out.

[C750X]

Overpriced tickets + uninspired play

[JE14]

prices are way too expensive.. $150 for nosebleed is nuts

[xereau]

This.

I genuinely hope there's some empty seats for the playoffs. It's the only way they'll get the message.

[DIBdaQUIB]

Maybe the Nucks should have thought about that when they crapped the bed in the last regular season game against the Ducks.

Just because people have the money to buy those tickets, doesn't mean they will and in fact, based on the team's effort most nights, I can see why the intelligent fan would be waiting to see if this team will even show up before blowing hundreds/thousands on a team that looks weaker than last year's which was weaker than the one before that.

[canuckinparadise]

My husband and I currently live in Hawaii so to watch games, we use nhl.com and hit a couple of local bars when they are blacked out. I've seen ads from other venues that offer 2 tickets, two hotdogs, and 2 drinks for $50. I've seen 4-packs of tickets advertised for $120. When I go home to Vancouver, I know we can't afford to buy tickets because they cost more that our flights did. Comparatively speaking, we could get season tickets in the nosebleed seats (Hey, I'm still there!) in a number of venues for what it would cost for a couple of games in Rogers Arena lower bowl. If management doesn't get smart, Rogers is going to become a ghost town filled with suits and cellphones because nobody can afford to take the family anymore.

[riffraff]

Generally speaking, charging more for less results in lower sales.

[Karlsson`s Flo]

I'd like to see how many opens sets there will be when the schedule out.

[rampage]

I can find a few reasons for this

- Ticket prices are ridiculous

- The teams play this year has been way below what we are used to, playing 1 period a game will do this

- A few of the season ticket holders were worried that they were about to pay for a series of Canucks vs Wild...nobody would do that

[Guest]

I get that some people can and will pay high prices for tickets, but man. It really sucks especially when you don't live in Vancouver. I live on the Island and I've fortunate enough to get to 3 games this season and I hope I can go to a game in round 2. But it's already expensive enough to get to Vancouver and have a place to stay the night / Go to the team store, dinner, have a fun night out.

It makes sense that the lower bowl is so much quieter. These people can afford to go whenever they want. The first game I was at this season was I was in the lower bowl, the guy beside me was on his cell most of the time, and a few rows down was a guy who was more interested in trying to make out with his GF rather than watch the game. Meanwhile, in the upper bowl people just are so damn excited to be there, and it's a much better experience

I know it's a business and supply and demand and all that stuff, but it still sucks. Regardless, I'll still shell out the cash to see the Canucks, because I love this team.

[DIBdaQUIB]

SO many threads about the horrible fans yet, when the Nucks played LA and Chicago with real effort, Rogers was loud and alive.

Fans show up to support theri fans, it's up to the players to give them something to cheer about. This year, the style of hockey the team has played together with the pathetic effort on most occasions has given the fans very little to get excited about.

May be a bit of chicken and egg thing but I really think this team has to prove it is a contender this year and so far, despite the division banner (weak division) they have not really showed they are capable of going any deeper than last year.

The Leaf's fans may be satisfied with an appearance at the dance, but the Nucks fans want their team to be the bell of the ball or at least, dance like they think they are.

[Ocular Patdown]

This doesn't shock me. Its about time the market caught up. Although obviously ownership will buy out all those empty seats prior to puck drop to preserve the "sell out streak".

[Tortorella's Rant]

Overpriced tickets + uninspired play