Vancouver Canucks quietly drop single-game ticket prices for some fans
After jacking up ticket prices significantly for the second year in a row, the Vancouver Canucks have quietly dropped prices for some of their fans.
A number of season ticket members sounded off on social media in February after seeing prices going up during one of the most disappointing seasons in Canucks history.
“I love this team so much, but I can’t afford to pay over $9,000,” said a Canucks fan named Catherine on social media at the time.
The price per game is even higher for single-game ticket buyers.
When single-game tickets first went on sale in August, we counted just five games that had available seats for under $100, with the cheapest price set at $95.
If you look at most available tickets now, you’ll see there are plenty of games with tickets well below $100 on the resale market.
We spotted tickets available for $71 before Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars. You can buy tickets right now for $82 for Dec. 8 (Detroit), $77 for Dec. 11 (Buffalo), or $73 for Jan. 27 (San Jose).
The cheapest ticket for Sunday’s game against the Calgary Flames is currently $104, via resale on Ticketmaster. That’s well below the cheapest standard-priced seat on Ticketmaster, which is $119 for no-alcohol permitted seats or $129 if you’d like to enjoy a beer while you watch the game.
Blue dots show unsold seats, pink dots are available resale seats (Ticketmaster)
This may help explain the letter emailed to season ticket members, including half-season ticket members and quarter-season ticket members, earlier this week.
“We’ve received valuable feedback from our Season Ticket Members about the cost of purchasing additional tickets for games outside of their membership package throughout the season. We’ve listened carefully and are making some adjustments to closer align with the pricing of your membership seats,” the Canucks said in an email blast sent on Wednesday.
Translation: they’re dropping the price for single-game tickets.
“Starting now, members will be able to purchase additional tickets for Canucks home games at their membership rate (plus processing fees). These updates are designed to give you more opportunities to share Canucks games with family, friends, and colleagues at a member-friendly price.”
In some instances, the price difference can be quite dramatic.
Take the Toronto Maple Leafs’ visit on Jan. 31, which is always the most expensive ticket of the season. A pair of tickets in the last row of section 316 for that game will run you $577.50 on Ticketmaster. By contrast, a season ticket member can now buy the pair for just $328.
Officially, the Canucks have averaged 18,834 fans per game, which is 99.6 per cent of the capacity at Rogers Arena. So they’re not in a crisis by any means.
But that doesn’t mean that every ticket is sold at the prices we saw in August. The student rush program, for instance, gives the team a quick and easy way to fill seats with last-minute discounted tickets.
The injury-riddled Canucks currently rank fifth-last in the overall standings, and there’s a growing movement among the fan base calling for the team to rebuild. If things don’t improve on the ice and fan apathy sets in, don’t be surprised if ticket prices continue to drop.