NHL 2013

[Jeff]

Got my revised ticket information over the weekend and the schedule has been released, so time to roll this over to a "real" NHL thread. 

Got my tickets for Saturday vs. the Avs.  Also printed off tickets to go see the free scrimmage (Wild v. Houston Aeros) this Wednesday.  A free night of hockey to get to know the new players, free $10 in concessions, and 50% off gear at the hockey lodge store (limit one sweater per person).  Might have to break down and pull the trigger on a new Granlund sweater if I can get one for 50% on Wednesday... 

[Morgbug]

Nice.  We're getting 25% off at the Jets Store for the week, then that's it.  Don't even have to be a season ticket holder to get the discount either.  I guess that's what you see happen when you're building is sold out and you've got 8000 on the wait list. 

Our hockey draft is tomorrow night for the games with our season ticket group.  I've got second pick so I'm taking the Pens on January 25th.  I'll only get six games this season due to the lockout.  I had a great schedule for the regular length season, let's see if I can duplicate that success. 

[Jesse James]

Similar thing going on in Pittsburgh...  I think half off in the store, and then there's some kind of free concessions thing going on, on select food and drinks, but since I probably won't make a game this year at all I didn't even think about it.

I'd love to get to one, if I could, but I think tickets are going to be pretty nuts with the shortened season and all. 

[Morgbug]

Pissed at True North right now.  They went to swipe cards for seats instead of printed tickets.  So the OCD collector in me is miffed at losing out on a souvenir.  Whatever as I can find a program to print simulated tickets. 

But starting next year they're charging us $2.50 per seat to print tickets.  As in print tickets at home.  As we're part of a group, we need to do that because shuttling the two swipe cards between 7 guys is going to be a huge pain in the ass.  Overall pretty ******* lame to slap that fee on there.  Already rumblings that it violates the season ticket holder agreement by increasing our ticket price above the allowable amount (yes, there is an annual 3% ticket increase in there every year) because this is equivalent to another 2.5% increase in fees associated with the games.   

Announced two days after the MOU was signed.  Classy gesture.      We get less than everyone else and charged more because they can, no other reason.  Maybe the PA was right about the owners.   

[TheSon]

That is a pretty swindly move. The Lightning went to cards this year too. But we can email or print tickets and give them to anyone. If you are in a group you can ask for extra cards and your agent will put each person in the groups games on separate cards.

I am sure once the find out about True North's bs, that might change down the road. But I thought it might be a one year deal to save on reprinting tickets knowing there was going to be a lockout.

[Morgbug]

We'll see what happens.  TNSE was flooded with calls, emails today and I"m guessing not many are impressed as they're making some sort of announcement tomorrow.  I'll wait and see.  I'll live with the scan cards as that's a future direction that's likely unstoppable, but the notion of paying to print tickets at home?  I think not.  I'll show up with my card at the bloody arena and make them print them all off for me if they are going to charge. 

In other news, we held our draft (second) tonight.  I had six picks out of 24 games and will be taking one of the guys in our group to two games in exchange for going with him to two of his games.  So I'll make it to 8 games total this year:

January 19 Ottawa Senators - home opener
January 25 Pittsburgh Penguins
February 12 Philadelphia Flyers
February 17 Boston Bruins
March 02 Washington Capitals
March 14 New York Rangers
April 09 Buffalo Sabres
April 18 Carolina Hurricanes

I gotta say, that's a pretty sweet schedule.  Still leaves room to drift south to St. Paul for the Ducks game too.   

[Jeff]

Still leaves room to drift south to St. Paul for the Ducks game too.   

Let me know if you're coming down...  I've got tickets for the Mar 12th Wild/Ducks game. 

[Jesse James]

Saw on twitter season tickets for Panthers games were starting at like $7 + a free jersey and free parking?  Hah.

[Jesse James]

Picked up 2 tickets, Pens vs. Sabers on 4/2.  Not low seats, but still cost $200...  That's why I don't get to many Pens games.  I got mid-ice though which is nice.

[Morgbug]

Picked up 2 tickets, Pens vs. Sabers on 4/2.  Not low seats, but still cost $200...  That's why I don't get to many Pens games.  I got mid-ice though which is nice.

Yeowch.  Mind you those sound like better seats than we might have (row 15 lower level, directly behind the net) and we're paying $95 a pop this year.  Jeff won't tell me how little he's paying for just about the same seats.   

[Jeff]

Section 125, Row 14 - very similar to yours Brent, but just a tad to the left of the goal.  $73 apiece with the season ticket plan...

[Morgbug]

Thanks.  I'm in the equivalent of Section 123, Row 15.  $95 bucks a pop and guaranteed 3% increase each year.  Next year's my last year under$100.  Stupid captive audience.  Stupid 8000 person waiting list.  Stupid Canadians. 

You should see the face value on these things, it's getting pretty obscene.  I think the "A" games are close to $150 for face value.   

[Jesse James]

Mine are Section 201, Row J, Seats 5 & 6.

If this link works, this should be the 3-D virtual view I have from where I'm at.

The $200 doesn't include parking.  That'll be the bitch.  $20 I bet.    They nail you in uptown for games.  I need to rethink my usual garage as its directly across from CEC.  With the Igloo down now there's an additional 1000 parking spots (some of them I guess are going to be marked as to where exactly the nets were), and so I may opt to park in one of the uptown lots instead.

I keep bitching about it but Pittsburgh really needs better transit.  Our Trolley only goes so many places...  It's great during Steeler games now because I park downtown and ride the trolley under the allegheny over to the N. Shore where the stadiums are at.  It dumps you out right between the casino and Heinz Field.  Great, and (for now) free on game days.

For Pen's games, you drive in, and park, and that's basically your only option.

[Morgbug]

That would be considered upper deck for our games, so those are pricey for the level.  Not that you can easily score seats like that here, so I'm sure it would be over $200 for a pair at that level.  I hope you'll excuse me for smiling a little that at least some markets are high priced like us. 

Our public transit sucks, period.  Absolutely love the trains/trams down in Minneapolis because we can get a relatively cheap hotel down by MOA, take the train in for a negligible fee and pound beers at the Vikings games.  I know they're working on the system for the hockey games too so that'll come in time.  Here?  Craptastic busses and not enough of them unless you're first out the door.  If not, you're waiting.  And because it's not rush hour, I need to take two buses, transferring and waiting outdoors.  Simply not going to happen because it's going to take me over an hour to get home.  Blech.

Parking at least is cheap.  If you're early enough you can luck into free street parking within a block or two.  To be right across the street from the arena in unheated parking you pay $10.  Indoor heated parking is $20 (although I can think of one that is only a block away for $10 on game nights and you can use the overpass walkways to get into the building without going outside at all.  Paid lot parking two blocks away is $5 and if you're three or more blocks away you're not paying anything.  Winnipeg is cheap and we don't like paying for parking. 

[Jesse James]

lol @ $5 parking.

You'd **** your pants at parking for Steeler games here.  $40, $50, even $100 a spot depending where/how you're getting it.  And some of those are NOT close.  That's all on the North Shore where the stadiums are of course though.  Even the Pirates, parking is not as cheap as it should be.  Hell, for them valet should be free.

For the Pens, there's ample space, so the parking's not SO bad, but finding it on the street's tougher.  With the Civic Arena down now, more will be coming and it'll be a non-issue, but the garage I always used before is NOW directly across from Console, and so it's up in price but still $20's not horrific I guess.  Problem with Steelers is there's probably as many, or more, outside the stadium all day too.  So that part of town becomes just a sea of people any given game day/night.

The funny thing about Pittsburgh's transit is our little T goes to one suburb (south Hills, through the tunnels), and that's it.  There's unused rail lines on almost all the rivers...  If I had my way of course i'd love seeing one run out to the Oakland area since that's where the colleges are almost all at, and then one to my area would be ideal (follow the Allegheny River on its abandoned tracks)...  One on each river really.  One to the North Hills wouldn't hurt too, as it's a heavily congested/popular shopping suburb.

It was a fight to get it to go to cross the river from downtown to the North Shore because they had to dig a tunnel for it to go under the Allegheny and things, and that's always fun.  It's really nice though.  Diane and I have used it a lot so far, and we love it.

Our next issue is hotels...  That's improved a little too, in the city, but really needs a little more work for sure.  One opened in a part of the town just outside downtown, and it makes me hope they get more.  It borders the convention center which is big, really a beautiful building inside/out, and just needs more hotels to really take off for big shows here I think.

I keep hoping.

Wish I could see a game with you guys.  It'd be fun.

And I don't mind the $200 or you smiling for it...  I knew they'd be a lot.  Even when we were sucking before Crosby was drafted, you could get tickets much more easily but they still cost a bit unless you had a student ID and could get the rush tickets.  I knew I wasn't going to get cheap ones.  I think on the corners I could've gotten them for $180 or $160.  I didnt' check limited view/standing room either, but with my knees I'm not standing and I have no clue if LV seats are really bad or not.  Some at the old place were horrible no-view seats.