Teams are willing to do almost anything to get people to buy NHL tickets.
You say you haven't been to an NHL game for a long time because the tickets are just too darned expensive?
Guess you haven't checked out teams' websites then. That's because there are deals to be had, plenty of amazing deals. In some cases you wonder how people can afford to not go to games.
Take the Florida Panthers. One of their ticket packages includes a $5 gas card, free parking and a Coca-cola combo meal. You get all of this for a whopping $17. Now let's assume parking is $10. The ticket price is now down to $7. The gas card drops it to $2. And you just know you can't buy a combo meal at an arena for under $7 dollars. You take advantage of this package and you actually make money. The only down side, it would seem, is you have to watch the Panthers.
The Panthers also have a Holiday Pack promotion where fans can purchase tickets to any three games starting at $51. Or you can go for the Papa John's Pizza Pack where you get two upper level tickets, two pizzas, two Cokes and free parking for $50.
And if you think it won't be until next season when NHL teams start to feel the pinch of a failing economy, as commissioner Gary Bettman suggests, you might be interested to know the Panthers laid off 10 employees Thursday and announced they will no longer match employees pension contributions. That's not all. Employees now require management approval to send FedEx packages.
Some other unbelievable deals are available around the NHL.
For instance, in Columbus fans can purchase tickets to see three games against the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks - all primo opponents - and spread their payments out over four months. Purchase tickets in the upper bowl and they'll cost you just $10 a week while lower bowl tickets are $20 a week.
In Los Angeles fans can purchase a Holiday Pack Special starting at $99. That gets you two tickets to four games (four games!), a $50 ESPN zone game card as well as a LA Kings collectable glass and coaster set.
The Nashville Predators are offering a Saturday Hockey Holiday 3-Game pack starting at $63. The offer includes games on Dec. 26, Jan. 1 and Jan. 19, a holiday stocking, team media guide on CD as well as a buy one get one free ticket for Adventure Science Center. Other three-game packages include a 101 rules brochure and tickets to the Nashville zoo. Teams used to routinely offer promotion packages for mid-week games, but Saturday night games didn't need extra promotion. They looked after themselves.
Fans of the New York Islanders can purchases two seats for any three games and they'll receive a $50 Visa card and an Islanders duffle bag. The Philadelphia Flyers encourage fans to sit in the Wachovia Center's All You Can Eat section for just $35 and you can chow down on unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, ice cream and soda. The Atlanta Thrashers have a similar deal where fans can enjoy unlimited hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, popcorn and Coca-cola starting at $39 per ticket. So you can sick from over eating or from watching the Thrashers - your choice.
Even the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings have had to resort to slashing prices and offering deals to attract fans. This really shouldn't come as a surprise given the state of the auto industry, but it is a shame nonetheless. Fans can buy one ticket to three games and receive three food vouchers and a Red Wings knit winter hat for just $96. Fans can also purchase single-game tickets for as low as $10 and can also buy tickets from season ticket holders using the Red Wings ticket exchange on redwings.nhl.com.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. That said, not all teams are offering mega giveaways. The Toronto Maple Leafs money-making machine is still running on all cylinders. But things are even changing in the hockey capital of the world. The Leafs have taken to advertising their games in local papers and on billboards around the city. Even they have recognized it is no longer possible to just open your doors and expect the building to be sold out.
Some of these deals may seem a little comical, but there is nothing funny about the direction professional sports is headed. In fact it is quite scary.
It will be interesting to see what changes teams make in terms of curbing spending. Sure they can lay off employees, but if they continue to hand out whopping long-term, big money contracts, they will be the engineers of their own destruction. Hockey is keeping an eye on baseball to see how the economy affects it now that it is in a selling mode.
I would suggest the Yankees signing of pitcher CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $161 million contract is an indication they just don't get it. If I am hockey, I just may not use baseball as my role model.
