Winnipeg Jets playoff tickets sell out in a flash

It took 19 years for NHL playoff hockey to return to Winnipeg, but took just moments for tickets to sell out.

Tickets for the Jets' first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks went on sale at 10 a.m. CT Tuesday. Before the clock ticked to 10:01 a.m., the tickets were gone, according to some frustrated fans on Twitter.

The official word from the hockey club, however, is that the tickets sold out "in less than five minutes."

Not that there were many tickets to be had in the first place. Most belong to season-ticket holders, so there were fewer than 1,000 available to the general public.

Prices for the first-round series range from $107.75 to $340 each.

The Jets and Anaheim play their first two games in California on Thursday and Saturday and the next two in Winnipeg on Monday and Wednesday.

If more games are needed in the best-of-seven series, they will go April 24 in California, April 26 in Winnipeg, and April 28 in California.

While many people tried to order their tickets online, some opted to stand in line at the MTS Centre's box office in downtown Winnipeg.

"I've been here — hopefully my boss isn't watching — since just after 9 o'clock," said Justin Stewart, who was second in line and was able to buy two tickets.

"Oh yeah, I got them!" he exclaimed. "I'm just happy to get to the game; I don't care where I sit."

Others who waited in line, like Doug Andrews, were not as lucky.

"I figured I'd try my luck and I guess I was about five minutes too late," he said.

"The fellow at the ticket desk was saying they might have a few available before the games, [so] try coming down about an hour before game time."

When asked if he will try again on game day, Andrews immediately replied, "Oh, I'll come down two hours early."

More tickets may become available

The team confirmed that some tickets will be released on game day, plus some season-ticket holders may sell their seats through the Jets Seat Exchange.

"They can monitor the Winnipeg Jets Seat Exchange for season's seat holders or anyone else that's attempting to sell their tickets for face value," said Scott Brown of True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Jets franchise.

Brown said the team has placed numerous restrictions on tickets to try to prevent people from buying and reselling playoff seats.

He added that the Jets cancelled one season ticket holder's account over the weekend for scalping.

"We found this person was clearly reselling their tickets for far above face value, so we cancelled their tickets this weekend," Brown said.

"We have good relationships with our season seat holders and it's not something where you want to be threatening them at all, but I can tell you we did cancel this past weekend and it is something we're watching."