No longer the hottest ticket in town? Leafs struggle to fill seats
Posted November 12, 2021 6:41 pm.
It’s been one month since the Toronto Maple Leafs began their latest quest for the NHL playoffs, giving fans their first chance to catch a regular season game in nearly two years.
Though capacity limits were lifted by the Ontario government before the season began, the famously loyal fanbase hasn’t packed Scotiabank Arena like they did pre-pandemic.
“I don’t believe the Leafs have sold out a game yet this year,” said ticket broker Bruce Tennant. He says it’s a shock for the league’s most valuable franchise: seats are usually full even when the team isn’t doing well.
That sort of performance-proof demand is a phenomenon to one marketing expert.
“In my three decades in marketing I’ve never seen a brand like the Leafs raise tickets way over inflation and keep their fans, despite the product they put on the ice,” said Tony Chapman.
Could low ticket sales finally burst the Buds’ bubble? Chapman thinks so.
“Now it’s different,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a blip, it could be a sign of things to come.”
The sales team at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has been trying to entice supporters into seats with offers to fans. Emails with discounts of up to 20 per cent, and deals on multi-game packs have been landing in fans’ inboxes. But the ticket broker says Leafs Nation can find even better prices elsewhere.
“Who’s going to pay $175 plus service charges on Ticketmaster when you can pay 100 bucks on the secondary market?” asked Tennant, who normally connects fans to season ticket holders. Those same season ticket holders are now desperate to recoup some of their investment, he added, selling off what was once the hottest ticket in town for below face value.
“The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour,” explained Chapman. “We’re now putting a value on time and money spent.”
Those priorities are certainly a factor for many families in the GTA, along with hesitancy around large crowds.
For Chapman, the answer to MLSE’s ticket woes is simple: “They’ve got to win a Stanley Cup.”
If only it were that simple.
