64 replies to this topic

[F.Michael]

As I have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate the sport of hockey. I have done tailgating for football games, bought season tickets for hockey teams, and so on. When I see the prices for this one game, I shake my head. Am I the only one that thinks its not worth it to go? Its 2 hours away for me. Then I have to sit in the cold and watch the game? I went to the very first cold war and it was fun, but man, I got in for a reasonable price. This is just price gouging.

For the price of admission for a decent seat and gas there and back plus time spent, it will be about $500. I can take $50 of that and make a fantastic dinner, and watch it on my 52 inch LCD TV. Oh, I will be able to see the game better, oh and I won't have to sit in the cold. Oh, and I won't have to deal with drunken idiots, the hassle of parking, or driving all that way there and back.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Nope - throw in with ya as well.

I'd love to go, but as you said the prices are Maple Leaf fan gouge worthy.

[Nightfall]

Nope - throw in with ya as well.

I'd love to go, but as you said the prices are Maple Leaf fan gouge worthy.

Don't get me wrong, I have a nice job and I want to go. But the cost of the seats are ludicrous. Especially for a nice seat where you can see the puck and where it doesn't look like a bunch of ants on a rink from the nosebleed seats. $200 per ticket? No thanks. 2 hour drive for me? No thanks. Watching for free in HDTV quality? No problem!

[WizardOfOz30]

Hoping I can get some tickets through work.

Enough to share with your good friends here?

As I have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate the sport of hockey. I have done tailgating for football games, bought season tickets for hockey teams, and so on. When I see the prices for this one game, I shake my head. Am I the only one that thinks its not worth it to go? Its 2 hours away for me. Then I have to sit in the cold and watch the game? I went to the very first cold war and it was fun, but man, I got in for a reasonable price. This is just price gouging.

For the price of admission for a decent seat and gas there and back plus time spent, it will be about $500. I can take $50 of that and make a fantastic dinner, and watch it on my 52 inch LCD TV. Oh, I will be able to see the game better, oh and I won't have to sit in the cold. Oh, and I won't have to deal with drunken idiots, the hassle of parking, or driving all that way there and back.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Sadly, I think I am leaning toward just staying home. Maybe trying to get downtown for some of those events. But being a single mom that has to pay for private school for my kids, I will likely have to make the "right" decision and not spend my money which is very hard to come by on one game. We can always have a Winter Classic party somewhere too, that always makes it fun.

[wingslogo19]

Well since there's no public tickets, looks like the dream of going to see the Wings play an outdoor game is thrown out the window

[Nightfall]

Well since there's no public tickets, looks like the dream of going to see the Wings play an outdoor game is thrown out the window

You can still go, but you will be paying through the nose to go. Hell, regular ticket prices are expensive as it is. Could you imagine paying double just go get in the door?

[Majsheppard]

I have never been more upset with the Red Wings than right now.

They have completely sold out the average fan on this event to make as much money as possible by making it nothing more than marketing for season tickets. I understand the tickets being pricey, and I think that is fine and okay... but if you make them so limited with thef****** stub hub s*** then you are putting the tickets out of reach of the fans. At least with a public sale you are going to get some actual fans to get their hands on tickets.

I would love to go to this event, but the average ticket price would use up 10% of my savings because the economy sucks and I have college debt.

I would have rather they sold the tickets directly to the Detroit fans at three times the cost and that way the scalpers wouldn't be able to invest as much.

Honestly, they want me to drop 800 bucks down for season tickets so I can drop another 150 down on these... Can't I just give you 800 for the tickets and call it even?

I know for a fact I would never give that to a scalper. I did it once for the Pistons championship game and it remains one of the biggest regrets ever.

[wingslogo19]

You can still go, but you will be paying through the nose to go. Hell, regular ticket prices are expensive as it is. Could you imagine paying double just go get in the door?

I'm not even sure I want to see the prices that are going to be on stub hub

[F.Michael]

Don't get me wrong, I have a nice job and I want to go. But the cost of the seats are ludicrous. Especially for a nice seat where you can see the puck and where it doesn't look like a bunch of ants on a rink from the nosebleed seats. $200 per ticket? No thanks. 2 hour drive for me? No thanks. Watching for free in HDTV quality? No problem!

Oh I hear ya - I too have the $$$ - just that I don't wish to spend it...This upcoming November sees the return of F1 to the USA with the event taking place in Austin, TX...I can afford that as well, but don't feel like shelling out roughly $1000, or more (3 day ticket, airfare, hotel, etc etc).

The older I'm getting the less likely it is of seeing me at these events that specialise in gouging the fan base...My comfy sofa, and hdtv will do just fine for both events.

[F.Michael]

I have never been more upset with the Red Wings than right now.

They have completely sold out the average fan on this event to make as much money as possible by making it nothing more than marketing for season tickets. I understand the tickets being pricey, and I think that is fine and okay... but if you make them so limited with thef****** stub hub s*** then you are putting the tickets out of reach of the fans. At least with a public sale you are going to get some actual fans to get their hands on tickets.

I would love to go to this event, but the average ticket price would use up 10% of my savings because the economy sucks and I have college debt.

I would have rather they sold the tickets directly to the Detroit fans at three times the cost and that way the scalpers wouldn't be able to invest as much.

Honestly, they want me to drop 800 bucks down for season tickets so I can drop another 150 down on these... Can't I just give you 800 for the tickets and call it even?

I know for a fact I would never give that to a scalper. I did it once for the Pistons championship game and it remains one of the biggest regrets ever.

Lets not kid ourselves; Mike Ilitch, and his beloved Detroit Red Wings are great at making a profit for themselves; this fleecing of Toronto Maple Leaf fans - aka - the Winter Classic - is a prime example of such.

I'm of the opinion Mike Ilitch could care less as to who shows up wearing whatever color of sweater - just that they pay full price for the ticket.

[vladdy16]

Lets not kid ourselves; Mike Ilitch, and his beloved Detroit Red Wings are great at making a profit for themselves; this fleecing of Toronto Maple Leaf fans - aka - the Winter Classic - is a prime example of such.

I'm of the opinion Mike Ilitch could care less as to who shows up wearing whatever color of sweater - just that they pay full price for the ticket.

And I don't have a big problem with that. Would it be nice if ticket prices were more reasonable? Absolutely. But the Wings were hemorrhaging money when he bought them, and he invested millions of his own $ to get the Wings where they are today. It's time to reap the rewards of his faith, effort and open checkbook as far as I'm concerned. After all, hockey is a business, not just entertainment, as I am so often reminded here.
Also, word on the street is he is willing to foot the majority of the bill, if not all, for a new arena, which many here have been begging for for a long time. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not buying enough Little Caesar's to help him out with that.

[F.Michael]

And I don't have a big problem with that. Would it be nice if ticket prices were more reasonable? Absolutely. But the Wings were hemorrhaging money when he bought them, and he invested millions of his own $ to get the Wings where they are today. It's time to reap the rewards of his faith, effort and open checkbook as far as I'm concerned. After all, hockey is a business, not just entertainment, as I am so often reminded here.
Also, word on the street is he is willing to foot the majority of the bill, if not all, for a new arena, which many here have been begging for for a long time. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not buying enough Little Caesar's to help him out with that.

Agreed.

If Mike, and Marian want to see the Red Wings in a new arena they'll most likely pay for most of it - if not all of it themselves...While I don't live in Michigan - I've visited enough, and I'm fully aware of the economic struggles of the area, and coughing up a few hundred million by the city/county/state for a new arena is not a top priority for them (unlike that club in the desert).

Getting back to the topic; even though I won't attend - I may have to buy me a WC jersey (even if it's a Maple Leafs jersey).

[juiceman]

I have never been more upset with the Red Wings than right now.

They have completely sold out the average fan on this event to make as much money as possible by making it nothing more than marketing for season tickets. I understand the tickets being pricey, and I think that is fine and okay... but if you make them so limited with thef****** stub hub s*** then you are putting the tickets out of reach of the fans. At least with a public sale you are going to get some actual fans to get their hands on tickets.

I would love to go to this event, but the average ticket price would use up 10% of my savings because the economy sucks and I have college debt.

I would have rather they sold the tickets directly to the Detroit fans at three times the cost and that way the scalpers wouldn't be able to invest as much.

Honestly, they want me to drop 800 bucks down for season tickets so I can drop another 150 down on these... Can't I just give you 800 for the tickets and call it even?

I know for a fact I would never give that to a scalper. I did it once for the Pistons championship game and it remains one of the biggest regrets ever.

Honestly, if you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at the NHL. This is their event, they are the ones who set the prices & the ticketing policy. The Wings & Leafs are each getting a percentage of the ticket sales. This really isn't considered to be a true home game for the Wings, otherwise season ticket holders would not have to buy their tickets separately from their packages.

It sucks for a lot of people out there who would like to go the game, but unfortunately that's the way it is.

Edited by juiceman, 16 June 2012 - 03:00 PM.

[kylee]

hey guys let's all chill out, the average fan may not be able to see their team host a Winter Classic but at least we got the Winter Festival in Detroit!

[Doc Holliday]

hey guys let's all chill out, the average fan may not be able to see their team host a Winter Classic but at least we got the Winter Festival in Detroit!

What point are you trying to make here?

[F.Michael]

What point are you trying to make here?

With the I'm guessing it's a healthy dollop of sarcasm.

[Konnan511]

The prices are hefty, but I guess this is where having no kids and no responsibilities other than rent and student loans comes in handy. I could save up for three months and be able to get a pair of tickets. But I can understand people with a family and how they would feel.

[Doc Holliday]

With the I'm guessing it's a healthy dollop of sarcasm.

I'm aware, but that still doesn't clarify his point for me. Because if he is saying what I think he is saying, I would say his response is a bit short-sighted.

[malts85]

I purchased the 20 game plan since the ticket agent told me that was the lowest package I could buy to be guaranteed tickets to the Winter Classic, My time frame to buy is starting on Monday. My cousins are supposed to come with me depending on price but I'll be buying the four tickets and if any of them change their mind I will let you guys know. As for prices, they are pretty much in line with regular home games for the Canadiens.

[WizardOfOz30]

Anyone get tickets for the game yet? My frieind here at work told me sometime last week that her husband had gotten tickets and she just told me she's been hearing about people getting them. I was wondering if anyone has had access to them without having season tickets.

[StormJH1]

This is absolutely price gouging, and it sucks. I really, really, would like to go to this. But I live in Minnesota, and would want to attend with my brother or some friends still in the Detroit area. For me to justify staying away from home over New Years', and then explain to my wife that this game/event costs about 4 or 5 times more than I would normally pay to attend a hockey game...yeah, I wouldn't blame her for being pissed.

And it's sad because a few years ago when I was hoping for this to happen, I would have said there's NO WAY I'm missing it if it comes to Detroit. But now I'm not too sure.

Oh well, I'm equally excited for 24/7. Putting a camera in front of Datysuk for a whole month has to be comedy gold.

I think Leaf fans could damn near sell the place out alone, honestly.

They won't, but that fanbase is crazy enough that 110,000 Leaf fans probably wouldn't hesitate to cross the boarder for this game.

I guess hadn't fully appreciated the Toronto factor. Hockeytown's demand for this would have been enough...now I'm kind of wishing we were playing this game against Phoenix. Or at least some other team that can't draw like this from 4 hours away.