Advertisement

Maple Leafs tiered ticketing plan drawing plenty of attention

Ask any hockey fan in Toronto (and beyond) what they think of Maple Leafs ticket prices and you are bound to get a blunt response.

The average person has been priced out of watching a game at the Air Canada Centre and according to a Toronto Star report published Tuesday, things don't look to be changing any time soon.

The report indicates that starting with the 2013-14 season, individual ticket prices will fluctuate depending on who is town and/or what night they are playing in what is known as dynamic pricing.

According to this chart, there are four categories in effect for the regular season, they range from regular to super premium pricing, there is also a preseason category.

The Star stated that a $90 regular priced ticket in the green seating section of the ACC could go for $125 for a super premium game.

The Maple Leafs have not confirmed the story but are expected to make an announcement on what they would prefer to call "tiered pricing," in early to mid-September when preseason followed by regular season tickets go on sale.

Most likely during this time the new increased price points will be confirmed along with a possible reduction in the base (regular) category.

Of 41 home games the Maple Leafs play this season, 10 are slated to be in the "regular" price point.

So for those that don't want to shell out top dollar to see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on a "super premium" Saturday night in October, there is the option of paying a little less to see Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets on a regular priced Monday in November....if they can get a ticket to begin with.

The idea of staggering ticket prices based on each game is nothing new in the global sporting world, the Maple Leafs just happen to be the latest team to get in the mix.

“We already do it to some extent and rank games A, B and C for single-ticket pricing,” said Tom Anselmi, Chief Operating Officer of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment in an e-mail to the Toronto Sun. “(It) is common practice in sports."

Locally, the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays already have similar schemes in place but a potential rise in ticket prices by one of the richest sports franchises in the world, even if there is a reduction on the bottom end, is a tough pill to swallow for many fans.