Playoff Tickets...

I got my playoff ticket invoice today. Madison Square Garden is telling me that for $3,888, I can 2 tickets to 16 home playoff games. That assumes that not only will they have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but that every series will go 7 games. 

Home ice advantage? They aren't even technically in the playoff picture. They had two objectives today - get 2 points, and stop the Carolina Hurricanes from getting any points. They failed in both.

But don't worry. If I pay nearly four grand, anything left over from games not played or series (don't know the plural of "series") not played goes towards my tickets next year. 

All of this on a day when the offense thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. And to be honest, with all the ice time - and power play time - that Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden had, I thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. Wasn't one of his biggest problems his over-reliance on players who didn't ever help the offense? John Tortorella comes in claiming "change" and "hope" and "a better economy" and we get #33 passing the puck continuously and #6 getting busted on goals time and time and time again.

The first period of tonight's game was sporadically exciting but mostly boring. The second period I enjoyed, very fast, up-and-down. Steve Valiquette was excellent for most of the game. Sean Avery was a monster all game, especially on one shift when he left the penalty box and rocked 3 hits in 10 seconds. The 3rd period made me wish I hadn't napped earlier in the day. It was boring, horrendous hockey with uninspired play.

Wade Redden is making $6.5 million dollars this year (or enough to buy 3,433 people playoff tickets for all 16 home games). Maybe he can take some of that money, catch up with Dorothy, go to Emerald City, and buy some heart.

* * * 

I must say, as much as I hate the Hurricane's "cheerleaders," I hate the Versus broadcast even more. I appreciate that they take on hockey and lead in with shows about dead deer, but every Monday night game on that channel makes me cringe. The first 3 minutes were like watching a stop-motion movie (I think Coraline was more fluid than the Versus' choppy camerawork). I knew before the game that the Canadiens fired Guy Carbonneau, I didn't need everyone to tell me throughout the whole game and intermission. I can't stand hearing Eddie Olczyk being referred to as "Edzo." 

But above all else, I wish they would leave a non-commercial-time-out alone. Every time the whistle blew for an icing, penalty, or offsides, we were treated to the Marines.com Player of the Game (where you could find out for the 8th time that Rod Brind'amour was in his 600th game as a Hurricane). Or maybe it was the Bud Light Drinkability Stat of the Game. 

Ridiculous. Thankfully they only have 2 games left on Versus, and I'll be at one of them so I won't have to watch it. 

The Islanders' Dilemma

Yesterday, individual game tickets for the New York Islanders went on sale.

Did you get any? Did you even know they were going on sale? Do you even care?

If you're at this blog, odds are at least 50-50 that you care. You might have gotten tickets yesterday, or you might have gotten a package. Or you might have heard and chosen not to go, instead opting for the bevy of freebies that are sure to fall into your lap as the season progresses.

If you did know about the ticket sale, odds are good that you found out about it from the Islanders' official website. Because the only other way you'd know is if you frequent Newsday.com or, of course, actually read the paper. Either way, the Islanders have advertised fairly extensively through Newsday, as they should; Newsday is the only paper that sends a beat writer on the road and generally gives the Islanders the time of day. Newsday does a pretty good job with the Islanders, and they do an even better job when the alternatives are considered.

However, Newsday didn't mention a word about yesterday's event at the Coliseum. It's not because they're not talking about the Islanders. There have been a couple of articles about Scott Gordon and his transition into his new role as head coach. But nothing about ticket sales. Why? Because it's not newsworthy.

That's right. Ticket sales for your New York Islanders don't qualify as news.

Surprised? Don't be. This is a team that finished in the lottery last year and has only regressed since then. Sure, there's a bright future ahead for the Islanders, one that we might even get glimpses of this year. But this team is a tough sell to people that actually like the Islanders, let alone casual sports fans who are ambivalent about the Islanders.

Some people would say not to be alarmed by this; after all, the Islanders are rebuilding, and part of that includes rebuilding the fanbase. But this is a source of concern. And if you don't believe me, here's proof.

On Tuesday morning, I contemplated calling in sick, as I do each and every day. And as I do each and every day, I reported to work. When I got to work, I received an e-mail advertising a company discount for Islanders Opening Night tickets of up to 50% off face value.

Re-read that last sentence.

It has been said that the only guaranteed sellouts for the Islanders in any given year are the Ranger games and Opening Night. And yet, I have the Islanders offering me 50% off tickets for Opening F'ing Night.

If you were Charles Wang, Chris Dey, or whoever's in charge of ticket sales, what would you rather do - discount tickets and look desperate, or charge full price and face the chance of an Opening Night crowd of 13,000? Tough call, indeed. Either way, you lose. And either way, Islander fans look like they don't care, which isn't necessarily true. But in cases like these, there's a trade-off. You either draw the big house with minor-league promotions, like last year, or you play in front of an empty house while pretending everything's okay, like the Islanders did so often during the late 90s.

Sad to say, but this is going to get worse before it gets better. Until the Islanders have a team that doesn't have to claw and scrape just for the 8th seed - and this at least two years away - fans aren't going to turn out in droves. And that has nothing to do with the crumbling state of the Coliseum, injuries, or any of the other excuses people conveniently bring up when defending this team.

Look, I'll be there as often as I can this year. A lot of other fans out there can say the same. And the Islanders will still sell out for holiday day games and Ranger games. But the key to consistently filling up any building is bringing in casual fans who aren't obsessed with hockey like we all are. That's where the Islanders are going to struggle. They're not the Rangers, who have loyalty from fans and corporations alike. The Islanders sell to blue-collar fans from Long Island, and as much as they've tried to make their seats affordable, people just aren't going to be motivated to turn out if the on-ice product is lacking.