WATCH: Tickets to Canucks home games are going for bargain-basement prices. Ted Chernecki takes a look at the price plunge.
What was once the toughest ticket in Vancouver has slowly become one people can’t give away.
Dozens of Canucks tickets for tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks could be bought on StubHub at anywhere from a 10 to 50 per cent discount in the hours before the puck dropped – but were left unsold.
Empty seats and big discounts on the reselling market are a common occurrence this year for the team.
“Prices do come down in February, it’s a bit of hangover from the Super Bowl and Christmas spending, but this is unprecedented,” said Adrian Sutherland, Director of Sales for Showtime Tickets.
Ticket sales began softening last year as the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, but prices remain high, according to a study by Team Marketing Report.
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Despite that, official attendance at games is still strong, with the Canucks averaging 18,688 tickets sold so far this season, 98.8 per cent of capacity. However, much of that is due to the nearly 17,000 season tickets sold.
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But with renewals for next season still due, it’s entirely possible only a deep playoff run will prevent sales from dropping again this summer.
“All franchises go through something of a cycle,” says James Brander, a business economist at the University of British Columbia.
“The Canucks are obviously in the downturn of the cycle.”