It was only two years ago that the Canucks nearly took home the Stanley Cup – and had fans shelling out big bucks for a chance to see them play.
But many Vancouver ticket brokers are saying the market has cooled considerably this year, with the cost of catching a game dropping by as much as 45 per cent.
Dozens of ticket sellers online are advertising lower-than-cost seats for games only one day away.
A listing on popular classifieds website Craigslist advertises upper bowl seats to a Columbus Blue Jackets game on March 26 for only $65 each.
Out of 40 ticket sellers that CTV News contacted, not one of them had sold their tickets.
“This season I probably had to give away half,” said Andy Mah, a season ticket holder since 2003.
Brokers are saying sales are the slowest they’ve been since the mid-90s – an era marked by mediocre teams and consistent disappointment.
“I’d have to back to Mike Keenan, when it was that bad,” said Kingsley Bailey, a re-seller through Vancouver Ticket and Service Ltd. “I can see it happening here in the next couple of years if it keeps going the way it’s going.”
Bailey said a strike-shortened hockey season is partly to blame. This year the Canucks only play teams in the Western Conference, meaning no visits from NHL superstars Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin.
He also said there also aren’t as many attractive weekend games this year. Add that to inflated ticket prices and Canucks fans are staying away altogether, Kingsley said.
“That’s why it’s a depressed market right now, ‘cause the games that are in the middle of the week aren’t strong games,” Bailey said. “Right now tickets are probably going for 45 per cent off.”
Feeling the pinch, the team is airing radio commercials geared at whipping up ticket sales for less-desirable games.
According to the team’s website and Ticketmaster, there are plenty of seats still available.
“We want to encourage fans that there are opportunities to purchase tickets for great seats to upcoming games,” a Canucks spokesperson said in a statement.
The team urges those looking for ticket deals to follow @CanucksTickets on Twitter and to sign up for their Last Minute Ticket Club, which releases unused seats within 48 hours of game days.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s St. John Alexander
