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Prepare To Defend Thyself Hockeytown
by IwoCPO on 04/10/07 at 06:10 AM ET
Comments (8)
We’re going to be hearing about this story today, and most likely all week. It’s not new to you, but our dirty little secret is out there now. Wing tickets, even playoff tickets, are not exactly difficult to come by.
As a matter of fact, they’re embarrassingly available.
Behind The Jersey mentioned it a week ago, and the Detroit News caught up last night.
Dave Dye/Detroit News
That’s right, on Monday afternoon you could purchase, through the Wings’ Web site, as many as 16 tickets together—section 227A in the upper bowl, row 24 at $63 apiece—for Thursday’s Game 1 at Joe Louis Arena against the Calgary Flames.
The Wings have only themselves to blame. They’re reached a point of such arrogance, organizationally, that they actually believe the fans owe them something rather than the other way around. Snapshots’ and Kukla contributor George Malik has been particularly eloquent as he’s pointed to multiple examples of this the last few years.
And George will tell you there is one bigger culprit than the rest within the I team. Wing fans, meet John Hahn.
According to a report Saturday on CBC-TV’s Hockey Night in Canada, around 2,500 Wings season-ticket holders declined to buy playoff tickets.
“I couldn’t tell you either way,” Hahn said when asked about the report. “I don’t know who they got that number from.”
As for an estimate on the number of tickets available, Hahn said, “I don’t have a specific count.”
Yeah, John. I’m sure they (CBC) made it up. Here’s what we know about Johnny Hahn, Wing Director of Communications: he’s living on borrowed time in that job. His Tiger and Piston equivalents are making him look foolish, so is every other peer around the NHL. The Wing “communications strategy” is essentially this: “We win and we win a lot. Come out if you want. If you don’t, we don’t care because the tickets are sold.”
Yeah, well...time to change gears Johnny Boy. Because the playoffs are here and the fans just may not be.
Jeff Cameron, 35, whose family/company have been season-ticket holders for more than 20 years, reluctantly paid $3,312 a couple of weeks ago to secure his four upper-bowl seats for the first two rounds.
He faces impending deadlines to purchase the same seats for the Western Conference Finals ($2,528 by April 27) and the Stanley Cup Finals ($4,320 by May 11).
“They want all that money up front, and then you don’t get a refund for a month or so afterward,” Cameron said. “It’s kind of a tough pill to swallow.”
Cameron said he wishes the Wings would adopt a system similar to the Pistons for selling playoff tickets to their season-ticket holders. The Pistons charge by credit card round by round.
“It seems they’re more fan friendly than the Wings have been to their loyal customers,” Cameron said.
Hockeytown has taken on some of the traits of the organ-I-zation, unsavory characteristics. We, the fans, are pretty comfortable in believing we’re owed this competitive product, that we should rightfully expect a strong Wing team every year. Honestly, I’m not real proud of that. I’ll admit I watched the Tigers’ season unfold with a little bit of jealousy last year. It’s been a long time since we saw that kind of excitement at the Joe, the electricity that comes with unexpected success.
But why does it take a rags to riches story to generate that level of adrenaline in a fan base? It doesn’t, but it takes a little effort from both sides, you know? Putting a jersey on a statue, hanging a pastel octopus from the rafters and coming up with an embarrassing playoff slogan won’t cut it anymore.
After this playoff run, no matter how long it lasts, the Wings are going to have to take a hard look at just how they’re marketing this team to a public in Michigan that is examining very closely how they’re spending their extra cash. Raising playoff ticket prices just because you’ve always done it isn’t going to cut it anymore. Not making your players accessible isn’t going to cut it anymore.
And yes, ignoring alternative forms of media....well, Johnny, that’s not gonna cut it.
Once again, just like exactly one year ago, we’re going to see a huge disparity in buildings. We’ll see empty rows at the Joe while the Saddledome bursts at the seams. While Hahn’s lackeys blast the lamest music of any NHL arena during stoppages in Detroit, it won’t matter what tunes they spin in Calgary because the fans won’t let you hear anything anyway.
The playoffs are two days away, Johnny. So, you’re off the hook for now. But, something tells me this is coming up again.
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Comments
Great point Hoser. Devellano’s the senile uncle the Wings have put up with for more than a decade. His fingerprints on the success of the franchise are undeniable, but his usefulness is long past. Every time he opens his mouth I picture Holland cringing.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 04/10/07 at 06:40 AM ET
Apparently to many Wings fans are busy cleaning out their garages and picking their noses.
C’mon hockeytown - where you at? Even Nashville has sold out their first two playoff games.
Guess playoff hockey in “hockeytown” is hohum now.
Posted by Anonymous on 04/10/07 at 08:10 AM ET
Precisely, anonymous, the reason for the title of that post. And Wing fans don’t pick our noses. It’s unseemly.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 04/10/07 at 08:14 AM ET
I am not surprised by this. I can’t see how anyone who has followed this team closely could be. The Wings’ star burned very dim all season long. There were rows and rows of empty seats (mainly in the lower bowl) all season long.
Sure, the success of the Tigers and Pistons probably has some effect on the fan base. I also think Yzerman’s retirement hurt the team’s popularity more than people think. Obviously the horrible state of Michigan’s economy plays a roll as well. But, in my opinion, it’s just come down to the fact that Wings’ fans have become spoiled. We’ve become the Atlanta Braves fans of the NHL. The first round of the playoffs has become more of a time of trepidation and concern than enjoyment.
Perhaps if the Wings make it out of the first round things will pick up…
I agree about being jealous of the attention and fan reaction to the Tigers’ season last year. It was great to see, but it’s been so long since there was that kind of excitement at the Joe. They can barely get a good “Let’s Go Red Wings” chant up anymore. Last year the fans booed the team off the ice after the first or second period of the first playoff game. I don’t expect the atmosphere to be any different this year.
Posted by Ajax19 on 04/10/07 at 08:22 AM ET
Sure Nashville sold out - although that isn’t quite clear yet - but they’re spending Toronto and Detroit money just to “compete.” That’s the storyline anyway because we all know that you buy Cups, just like Toronto, Philly and NY have proved.
However, back on topic… I think the Wings season ticket holders are paying prices that are much higher than anywhere else. The Wings don’t offer as many tiers in pricing. There are 3 price levels in the upper bowl that are $10 apart for the lower half and the upper half, no matter where you sit (behind the net, center line, etc.). The 1st 4 rows of the upper level are the same price as the lower bowl seats, also the same price around the entire diameter. The glass seats are $10 more per seat than this group pays. If you cannot make it to all the games, you are competing with fans re-selling who potentially have a much better product for the price if you have less-than-choice seats. I think season ticket holders simply are not confident they CAN re-sell tickets that they won’t use. The economy is quite bad here and that has to be part of it. When folks can’t sell their houses it does give pause as to what forms of entertainment they’ll spend on…
Also, you get a lot of comments on from people how going to one game at the price levels offered isn’t horrific. Season ticket holders are not looking at just one game. Usually they are purchasing in groups of 2-4. Even at the upper bowel price, that’s $700-800 per seat for the 1st 2 rounds; $2-2.5K per seat for the next two rounds. Times 2 people and you spend $6-7K for playoff tickets. The lower bowel will cost a season ticket holder over $10K if the WIngs go further. And these are figures for just two seats. Imagine 4 seats together if your calculator can stomach it.
I think a lot of critics are forgetting that the Wings have more season ticket seats than do most teams. I think the number is at least 17K out of 20K seating capacity. If my numbers are correct, 14.5K DID buy their season tickets. There are teams that would be happy to have 14K season ticket seats, playoffs or not! Honestly, I believe the every day fan is just being priced out of hockey at least as a season ticket commitment. Most people can afford the odd game here and there, but how many can invest $10-20K per annum for seats?
Posted by snafu on 04/10/07 at 08:36 AM ET
I happen to enjoy the Wings’ topical arena music! How can you deny “Piano Man” playing at 9:00 on Saturday night games? How will you know when a penalty is called on the Wings without “What’s The Dilly Yo”?
I can do without “Who Let The Dogs Out” after victories!
Posted by Matt from Royal Oak, MI on 04/10/07 at 08:56 AM ET
While I don’t want to lose sight of the truly impressive organ-I-zational arrogance, the economy is in the toilet and I agree that is having an influence. People are leaving the state in droves and houses are being foreclosed because they can’t be sold.
A few facts gleaned from the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/30/AR2007033002127.html
“Michigan has lost 305,000 jobs since 2001.” “About 65,000 people moved out of Michigan from July 2005 to July 2006.” “...But Michigan’s most recent trouble is “the most severe crisis in the state’s existence,” defying the pattern of past economic cycles, when Michigan bounced back quickly, said David Littmann, senior economist at the Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy.”
So maybe folks are looking for jobs, working extra hours to keep the one they have - or have simply left the state…
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula on 04/10/07 at 09:08 AM ET
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I can’t speak to the culpability of John Hahn, but don’t let JimmyD off the hook. I realize he is the mastermind behind the rebuilding of the Red Wing franchise, reviving it from Dead Wing status. And for that I’m truly grateful. However, I’ve heard him interviewed on Detroit Sports radio - and NObody comes off as more arrogant.
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula on 04/10/07 at 06:36 AM ET