Nashville Predators CEO Sean Henry says his phone has been lighting up recently.
“I’m not a very popular guy, but right now, just looking at my texts and phone calls, interest is pretty high,” he told The Tennessean this week, referring to the frenzy for tickets to watch the Predators play at Bridgestone Arena in their first-ever Stanley Cup Final.
Those tickets, which went on sale to season-ticket holders on Wednesday, are fetching a steep price in the secondary market.
The Tennessean reports that a ticket to Game 3 of the Final — the Predators’ first home game in the series — costs more than a ticket to watch the Golden State Warriors play at home in the NBA Finals.
The current starting price for a ticket to the Predators’ first home game has climbed to $978. Prices are as high as $7,700.
“The city’s hockey popularity is also outshining its Stanley Cup competitors,” the story notes. “The starting price on StubHub for a finals ticket is twice as high in Nashville than in Ottawa and Pittsburgh for the opening games. Tickets on StubHub start at $333 for the potential May 29 [contest] in Pittsburgh and $372 for the potential Ottawa game.”
The secondary market can be a dangerous proposition for some fans. Earlier this month, one eager fan purchased tickets to Game 3 of the Predators’ Western Conference Final series with the Anaheim Ducks on Craigslist — or at least he thought he did. The fan paid $125 for what he thought were lower-bowl seats.
“I went into the arena that night, past security, and the ticket wouldn’t scan,” he told a local news station.
A selection of Predators tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday morning at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Expect those to be snapped up quickly, though — Henry said he anticipates only 100 to 200 tickets per game will be available.
One hundred last-minute tickets per game will also be available for sale via the Predators’ app, and the team will also be selling concourse tickets for $150 — offering a chance to watch the game inside the arena, but on a TV screen.
The Predators are also planning to add more video boards to the plaza outside Bridgestone Arena to allow more fans to soak in the playoff atmosphere free of charge.
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