Canadians have flooded Vancouver Olympic organizers with a record number of requests for tickets to the 2010 games.

The Vancouver Olympic organizing committee says Olympic enthusiasts submitted over $345 million in ticket requests during the Phase 1 of ticket sales. The five-week period ended Nov. 7.

Men's gold medal hockey is by far the most popular event, with more than 140,000 requests.

VANOC says that of the 170 events planned, more than 120 were oversold, meaning a lottery system will be put in place to determine who will receive tickets for those events.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as all figure skating, short track speed skating; speed skating and men's ice hockey (from quarter-finals onward) are among the events that will go to lottery.

Approximately 1.6 million tickets will be sold to the public for the Games. Ticket prices range from $25 to more than $1,000, not including service and delivery charges. Half of all tickets will be priced at $100 or less.

VANOC says the number of requests for 2010 tickets is more than double the number that was reported for Salt Lake City in 2002, the most recent Games held in North America.

Organizers hope the mostly-online sales process will defeat scalpers. However, unofficial ticket brokers have told CTV they're planning on buying and selling Olympic tickets. One broker recommended that consumers make sure they deal with a reputable agency to avoid potential problems.

Vancouver's Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) expects to collect more than $230 million from ticket sales.

The 2010 Winter Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 28. The Paralympic Games will follow from March 12 to 21.

2010 Games tickets by the numbers

  • Total value of tickets requested Oct. 3 to Nov. 7: $345 million
  • Value of tickets requested on final day of requests: $135 million
  • Page views on ticketing site from Oct. 3 to Nov 7.: 18.5 million
  • More than 3.5 million page views on November 7 alone
  • More than 140,000 tickets requested for men's gold medal hockey
  • More than 10,200 tickets were requested for the men's four-man bobsleigh final

2010 Olympic ticket facts

  • 1.6 million tickets will be available to the public.
  • 50 per cent cost less than $100.
  • The most expensive ticket is $1,100 for a seat at the opening ceremonies.
  • The cheapest event ticket is $25 for preliminary rounds of cross-country skiing and biathlon.
  • The most expensive ticket for the men's gold medal hockey game is $775.
  • Tickets to the nightly victory ceremonies will be $22, but a third of them will be given away for free.
  • Visa is the only payment card accepted
  • Some cheques and money orders will be accepted