'It's disappointing': Ticket holders react to postponed Canucks home games

Ticket holders who travelled from outside Metro Vancouver for Saturday night’s Canucks-Maple Leafs game are disappointed the once-per-season matchup at Rogers Arena was postponed just hours before puck drop.

Dave Lewis and his wife flew down from Terrace for the contest, and also had tickets for the Canucks-Coyotes matchup on Sunday. Both games have been postponed by the NHL over COVID-19 concerns.

“It’s disappointing,” said Lewis, who spent money on flights and hotel nights for the weekend games.

“We understand lots of players are testing positive and it’s going though quite a few leagues right now, so we kind of knew it was coming, but just hoped we could hold on for Monday.”

Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said he understands the frustration.

“I know lot of people came from out of town for this game. I feel bad for those fans that made those arrangements,” said Rutherford. “We are disappointed, but safety comes first, safety of the players, safety of the fans. And I think this is the right decision.”

The Canucks said the games will be rescheduled and have asked fans to hold onto their tickets. But Lewis said he and his wife likely wouldn’t be able to return to Vancouver for the games later this season, and are hoping the team offers refunds.

“It’s pretty hard to get away,” Lewis said. “This was the first time my wife and I had left our son since he was born about two years ago, so this is a pretty important weekend for us. So that’s why it hurts a little bit more that we can’t go to the games.”

At this point, only the two weekend Canucks games have been postponed, but other home games have been reduced to 50 per cent capacity until the end of January. That means the team will have to decide which fans can attend those matches.

“No matter what the Canucks organization does right now, it’s going to be hard to please everyone,” said Tali Campbell, the general manager of the Coquitlam Express hockey team, who also holds tickets for a single Canucks game versus Ottawa in January.

Campbell expects Canucks season ticket holders will be prioritized and single-game ticket holders will lose their seats. While a plan has not yet been announced, Rutherford hinted at that on Saturday.

“I do believe the season ticket holders get priority and they will get the first opportunity to be able to use their tickets, and then from there they will move on,” said Rutherford.

That could nullify many single-game Canucks tickets that people planned to give as Christmas gifts.

“This was not a Christmas present, this was a ticket that I got,” said Campbell. “So I’m not in a position that a lot of other people are right now that are trying to rethink what their Christmas gifts are going to be for their spouse, for their kids.”

For the Lewis family, the two Canucks games were a gift to themselves. The new parents are trying to make the best of their weekend in Vancouver by spending time with friends.

“You know, we wanted to watch hockey, but we understand that can’t happen,” Lewis said. “It’s just one of the many things we had to deal with in the last couple years.”