Rangers To Real Fans: Stay HomeThe Rangers have been advertising the team's "presale" of individual tickets, beginning today on Ticketmaster.
Like many fans, I was sure to immediately try to obtain tickets to the January 12th game against Edmonton, when the Rangers are retiring Mark Messier's number.
Within seconds of the purported release of tickets, no seats were available to that game in any section or any price level.
In contrast, previously I have always been able to obtain high-demand tickets when I was online with a fast connection, such as to World Series and playoff games and leading Broadway plays that sold out within 30 minutes or less.
Rangers tickets were available to every other game I checked (including tough tickets against the Islanders and Devils, which always sell out), but even those games had a Ticketmaster charge of $10 per ticket or more. Furthermore, individual seats cost $4.50 more than the price to season ticket holders. So a seat up in the "blues" that costs $22.50 to a season ticket holder would - after Ticketmaster fees - come to more than $37 each.
The failure to release any tickets to the Oilers game is unacceptable in light of the Rangers' advertisement of ticket sales. It's obvious that the Rangers are withholding individual tickets to the Oilers game, instead forcing fans to buy a 15 game package that includes that game. They should at least be upfront about that.
I don't know how much the Messier tribute will end up costing on eBay and Craigslist. I was hoping to take my wife so that she could gain an appreciation of this sports legend who changed Rangers history, but now hope I'll be able to afford a ticket for myself.
posted on 9/13/2005
