Mario Livich, the CEO of Showtime Tickets.com, said his ticket sales have been down 40 per cent since the lockout.
“It is great news for us,” Livich said of the pending settlement.
“It has been a challenge for us to conduct business,” he added of the loss of NHL hockey since September.
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And while Livich is excited about the return of NHL hockey, he does feel it will take some time for fans to jump back on the bandwagon.
“Hockey fans are very emotional and will be slow coming back,” he said.
“But after a couple of months people will forget and come back to their love.”
With a compressed season, Livich also thinks each game will count for more and it will generate a lot of fan interest as the playoffs loom.
“There are the pros and cons of a compressed season,” he said. “With a shorter season every game means more.”
Like many, Livich wonders if ticket prices will be reduced as the season starts. “I think the NHL should do something to woo the fans back,” he said of possible price reductions.
“They need to reconcile with their fans.”
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