Many fans of the Prince George Cougars knew how difficult it was to get tickets to watch the Cats compete in the playoffs, but that experience pales in comparison to trying to get tickets to watch the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
It took the Cougars not much more than an hour to sell their tickets for each of their three home games against the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL Western Conference Final.
At least Prince George fans had a realistic chance of getting tickets either online or at the box office and did not have to pay a mini fortune for them.
Granted, the Stanley Cup Final is a much bigger stage, but trying to get tickets from Prince George at a semi-reasonable price was a near impossibility.
Tickets for Game 3 Thursday (won by the Florida Panthers 4-3) were listed between $1,200 and $7,500 each through online (largely resale) ticket brokers but that was a week before puck drop.
Prices are higher for the next game on Saturday which could be the last one of the season.
“It’s obviously unprecedented demand and for resale — that’s what drives up the ticket prices,” said Kevin Rapanos, spokesman for the Edmonton Oilers Entertainment Group.
Well @EdmontonOilers had to decide if I wanted to sell a kidney or remortgage my house for finals tickets, I decided on a new playoff #Hyman jersey. We don’t get to eat for a few weeks, but I have booze and a sexy new jersey for game one! WE ARE IN THE FINALS LFG! #LetsGoOilers
— Sean🐢🤣😂🐢🤣😂🐢 (@OilersFanSean) June 7, 2024
Prince George Cougars part-time employee and mypgnow.com full-time employee, Will Peters, was among those shutout in trying to obtain tickets for either Game 3 or 4.
In fact, he had more success in getting tickets for the Taylor Swift concert December 8th at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver (capacity about 54,500).
“I was (barely) successful in getting Taylor Swift tickets for her Sunday (third of three) show in Vancouver. Ticketmaster held a lottery to avoid long queue times, I got drawn from that lottery at the very end of the sales window. By the time I opened Ticketmaster there were 100 or fewer tickets left in all of BC Place.”
“I also tried to get Stanley Cup Final tickets. There was no lottery process; nearly the entire arena completely sold out before the 1-hour presale window closed, which you needed a special code to access. I did not have that code, so I did not get tickets – unless I wanted to buy them from a scalper. Hundreds of resale tickets were available on Ticketmaster within minutes of the sellout, all for well over the original price,” stated Peters.
What is a bit interesting is that the 23-year-old Peters wanted to grab tickets for the Oilers and Taylor Swift for entirely different reasons.
“I won’t lie, I only wanted Taylor Swift tickets so I could scalp them (though I did offer them to my mega-fan sister for no upcharge first). I got my karma with missing out on the Cup Final tickets; I would have gone with my Oilers super fan Dad (Jason).”
Because there were three Swift shows, all in a much bigger facility than Rogers Place in Edmonton (capacity 19,500) the chances were better getting the concert tickets rather than for the hockey.
“I am aware of others in Prince George (that got Swift tickets), they would have paid more than me but not by an extreme amount unless they went the scalper route. Because I was last in the draw the tickets I got were partially behind the stage – everyone in the building will have better seats than the ones I bought.”
By some standards he got a bargain for the Swift tickets, but his seat location was one of the worst in the building.
“The Swift tickets I got were around $350 each. Not bad, considering, but BC Place has 50,000+ seats and there were 3 concerts, and these seats were terrible. I was prepared to go as high as was available for Swift – again, I am a part of the problem and flipped them for (a small and reasonable) profit. My upper limit for a Stanley Cup Final ticket would have been $750, but that would have hurt the bank account.”
Average Stanley cup final ticket prices for games 1 and 2 in Florida are $779, and $715….for games 3 and 4 in Edmonton, $1015 and $1306. That’s the average ticket prices. In Florida you can find tickets for $350 but in Edmonton they are $700-$950. How many would you like??
— Bob Irving (@BobIrvingCJOB) June 8, 2024
Tickets for a possible Game 6, one week from today (Friday, June 21st), have obviously not gone on sale yet with Florida holding a 3-0 lead. If the Oilers can win the next two, Peters plans to try again for the 6th game, realizing it is a longshot at best.
“It pays to know people. If I had an Edmonton connection who could have set me up with a presale code I could have had tickets for Game 3. Other than that, have good luck or be rich.”
The moral of the story?
It is one thing for a team to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, it is yet another for many fans to punch theirs.
They’re the hottest ticket in town and if you want in — be prepared to pony up. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup final home games sold out in minutes and tickets on resale sites are $$$$. But as @JaclynKucey explains, for fans who have waited 18 years — it’s a priceless experience. pic.twitter.com/YCJRCltWX0
— Global Edmonton (@GlobalEdmonton) June 6, 2024
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
54,000 fans, not quite a sellout- showed up for Saturday’s Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets game in London, England. Not bad since MLB sent only one Major League team.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
American women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark, enduring a rough transition from college to the pros, is receiving bullying from opponents reminiscent of that seen in The Karate Kid. So that may explain why she was seen in the locker room repeatedly dropping and picking up her jacket.
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Toronto’s expansion WNBA franchise mathematically certain to win its league championship before Leafs do.
The Beaverton.com
A recent study casts doubt on the longstanding theory that repeated failures are learning experiences that ultimately lead to success. The study participants? The Toronto Maple Leafs.
*Contributor Marc Ragovin of New York
In early November, 1963, Ronald Howes marketed the first Easy-Bake Oven — three years before the start of the Toronto Maple Leafs last Stanley Cup-winning season. Since then both have run on the same principle: just replace one dim bulb with another hoping the final product won’t be half-baked.
Hartley Miller is the news and sports director/supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. He has completed his 11th year as the radio colour commentator on the Prince George Cougars home games. Hartley has been on the airwaves in PG since 1979 and is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes).
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
