[OOT] May 23, game six of the Eastern Conference final.

[Dogbert]

Originally Posted by codynw

I spent more than that on tickets and drove up from Lethbridge for a regular season game multiple times this season. That's not a great excuse for not selling out a conference final game.

Good for you. The vast, vast majority of people don't have that kind of money or time to spend. If I was a Senators fan, then maybe I'd splurge, but I'm not, and it's not worth it.

The NHL has to realize that there's a limit to what the average person will pay to attend the games, hockey town or no hockey town. The days of gouging certain markets to pay for the existence of others are coming to an end.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Dogbert

Good for you. The vast, vast majority of people don't have that kind of money or time to spend.

The NHL has to realize that there's a limit to what the average person will pay to attend the games, hockey town or no hockey town. The days of gouging certain markets to pay for the existence of others are coming to an end.

Really? Because every other team, even the Ducks, sold out all of their conference final games. I can't imagine Penguins tickets are that much cheaper.

[Cliche]

Yes your eyes don't deceive you, senator's have actually scored a PP goal.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by Dogbert

Good for you. The vast, vast majority of people don't have that kind of money or time to spend. If I was a Senators fan, then maybe I'd splurge, but I'm not, and it's not worth it.

The NHL has to realize that there's a limit to what the average person will pay to attend the games, hockey town or no hockey town. The days of gouging certain markets to pay for the existence of others are coming to an end.

+1

Showing your a true fan is not putting your butt in a seat at any cost. What Oiler fans did over the last decade is embarrassing and they should be called out, not praised for what they let Katz do to them.

[Joborule]

Come on Pens. Put an end to those stupid bring stanley home commericals.

[Meers]

Originally Posted by Cliche

Yes your eyes don't deceive you, senator's have actually scored a PP goal.

I believe the last time they scored one occurred sometime in the 1920s.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Any team with Alex Burrows on it, Canadian or not, should not be allowed to come close to the cup ever again. Go Pens!

After watching Kessel whine repeatedly early in the series, I'd love to see the sens come back and win it. Not gonna happen though.

[Karl]

Go Preds go!!!

[TenaciousC]

Originally Posted by Dogbert

I wanted to go tonight. The cheapest ticket in the building was $90, and that's before you consider taxes, fees, and concessions - not to mention that, on OC Transpo, it's a two-hour trip to and from the CTC from my place. No thanks.

90$ is a steal in any city in Canada to be in the building for a conference final game.

[Flames89]

If pens win series, there will be wayyyy too much yellow in the SCF

[Karl]

Going the distance. Heh.

[ah123]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Haha just heard this game is not sold out!

Read on Reddit that it has a lot to do with the ongoing Phoenix payroll system issues.

Apparently a lot of federal employees haven't gotten paid in a while, so a lot of people are really tight on money

[Karl]

Pens for gm 7. Then go Preds go!!!

[edn88]

I am fine with any of the three remaining teams winning the cup.

[PugnaciousIntern]

The rink is also in the middle of nowhere. Plenty of fans, but nobody wants to go out there without any restaurants next door and brutal traffic

[Karl]

'Now watch pee ott take his spot'.

[Erick Estrada]

Ugh. I have not found the Senators entertaining to watch at all. If they make the Stanley Cup finals they may even manage to make Predator games boring.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Ugh. I have not found the Senators entertaining to watch at all. If they make the Stanley Cup finals they may even manage to make Predator games boring.

Would be interesting to see if Laviolette would try to embarrass Boucher and his 1-3-1 again like he did in Philly when Boucher coached the Bolts.

[Mr.Coffee]

Sorry but I'm with Dogbert on this one. I think pro sports and especially hockey are in for a bit of a reckoning in terms of the business model. Here's why and sorry for the derail a bit:

- Ticket prices are not sustainable for the entertainment value relative to access to television. The next TV contract is not going to be as lucrative either.
- NHL is a gate driven league. Given the rise of TV as a very quality substitute, fans in future will be less willing to spend crazy amounts.
- Player salaries have risen but there will be an eventual ceiling to the market fans will pay. Salaries and profits have outgrown people's ability or willingness to spend (my prediction based on US / Canadian economies- particularly- the NHL relies on a strong Canadian economy which is being propped up artificially by real estate which will eventually pop in Toronto / Vancouver). Seriously, real estate is the number one industry in Canada. How can that be? The money has to come from an industry of actual wealth generation like technology, raw resources or manufacturing. It's not sustainable for Canada, and Canada is the butter for the NHL's bread, transferring money to prop up less profitable teams through profit sharing.

Anyway, who the hell would want to watch the Senators?

They're boring as hell. They're far away from people. Tickets are still somewhat expensive. They don't have the rabid base of fan support. But most importantly, they're boring as hell. Want fans to come? Don't be boring.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Sorry but I'm with Dogbert on this one. I think pro sports and especially hockey are in for a bit of a reckoning in terms of the business model. Here's why and sorry for the derail a bit:

- Ticket prices are not sustainable for the entertainment value relative to access to television. The next TV contract is not going to be as lucrative either.
- NHL is a gate driven league. Given the rise of TV as a very quality substitute, fans in future will be less willing to spend crazy amounts.
- Player salaries have risen but there will be an eventual ceiling to the market fans will pay. Salaries and profits have outgrown people's ability or willingness to spend (my prediction based on US / Canadian economies- particularly- the NHL relies on a strong Canadian economy which is being propped up artificially by real estate which will eventually pop in Toronto / Vancouver). Seriously, real estate is the number one industry in Canada. How can that be? The money has to come from an industry of actual wealth generation like technology, raw resources or manufacturing. It's not sustainable for Canada, and Canada is the butter for the NHL's bread, transferring money to prop up less profitable teams through profit sharing.

Anyway, who the hell would want to watch the Senators?

They're boring as hell. They're far away from people. Tickets are still somewhat expensive. They don't have the rabid base of fan support. But most importantly, they're boring as hell. Want fans to come? Don't be boring.

Help me reconcile the the first two points of your post. The down fall of the NHLs gate revenue, will be due to the quality of the TV product. The TV product, that is so good it's going to deter in person attendance at games, is however going to have less value in the future than it does now?

How is that possible. If demand for the TV product is going to go up, how does the value drop?