Truth & Rumors > NHL

Wild owner buys cheap tickets

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One of the Wild's limited partners this season, rather than buy season tickets, bought individual tickets before games on the street from brokers in order to get them at reduced prices.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Minnesota Wild, AP Minnesota Wild, AP
May 12, 2008  06:23 AM ET

Slow news day? Surely there'll be something about Bradyn Coburn's injury later?

May 12, 2008  08:53 AM ET

His name is....Mike Tice.

May 12, 2008  10:33 AM ET

So Minnesota - the "New Hockeytown", as they seem to want to call themselves, can't even get one of their own owners to pay market price to watch that boring-a&& style of hockey eh? With all the availability of tickets through "brokers" (I think WE call them scalpers up here), it makes one wonder as to the validity of all those "sell outs" they are always bragging about, doesn't it?

May 12, 2008  11:01 AM ET

Hockeytown my ass.

May 12, 2008  11:49 AM ET

The ticket was sold wasn't it CANADA. So yes, the venue was sold out. "Scalpers" the derogotory term as you like to use are always around, nothing new there. Ummm, Detroit can't sell out playoff games!!! you kidding me!! We aren't "hockey town" we are THE STATE OF HOCKEY. I refuse to believe that Detroit loves thier hockey more then any Minnesotan does thiers. USA Pond Hockey Championships, here. State High school tourney that averages more people then most Pro teams, here. Sellouts since the wilds inception? here. Half of the fricken NHL can't play hockey outside in January! To me, he sounds like a guy who refuses to lose money at any cost. That's how rich guys stay rich.

May 12, 2008  11:50 AM ET

Oh, and guess what, Lemaires Staying.

May 12, 2008  01:33 PM ET

First off, great Vinnie Jones pic, LazyMike...laughing at that one for years now

Secondly, I feel no pain for scalpers, and will continue to refuse to legitimize their profession by calling them brokers. That's a bulls**t term for them.

Thirdly, I wasn't knocking the state, or the fans of Minnesota - anyone who comes on this site on the regular knows how much respect I have shown Minny - I've gone so far as to call them "almost Canadian" because of their values and interests. So take it easy, breathe into a paper bag 10 times, and understand that I am ridiculing the organization - and its playing style - not the fans who cheer for it. I feel Minnesotans deserve a better quality product on the ice. And I feel they deserve better from their new ownership than promoting scalping to save a few pennies - it doesn't bode well for a franchise that thought it was getting an ownership that would spend to the Cap limit...

May 12, 2008  01:54 PM ET

Street Brokers? I remember the good old days when they were called Scalpers.

May 12, 2008  01:56 PM ET

The good old days being yesterday.

May 12, 2008  02:06 PM ET

Cheap skate! If he would have paid what theu're charging everybody else, maybe he'd have an idea of what it costs for the average fan to support the home team!

Hockey used to be a family night out. Now, you have to take out a second mortgage on your house to take your family to an NHL game!

May 12, 2008  02:36 PM ET

Wild owners also sell cheap tickets..

May 12, 2008  03:20 PM ET

Minnesota is still the state of hockey. do you ever hear about high school hockey in any state other than Minn? both Mich and Minn love thier college and pro teams, but Minn gets my vote for hockey state because they go all teh way to HS. that could be a good TD though

May 12, 2008  03:29 PM ET

That's a great point, DCruiser. I don't know how much it costs in the Canadian arenas, but it seems that the only fans that are actually at games to cheer for the home team are Canadiens fans. That is what is wrong with the NHL today. You can't enjoy yourself if you spend money on the tickets down low because somebody always yells at you for cheering. It's just a bunch of yuppies that don't even know the rules of hockey. Our world has been invaded by a bunch of soccer moms. I go to a lot of CHL games, and sometimes I think that Colorado Eagles fans are better hockey fans than NHL fans. The guy that loves the game but doesn't have a lot of disposable income can attend a game. It's annoying, really.

About the Wild owner buying tickets from a scalper (and yes, GoC, it's still called SCALPER in the USA, and is illegal in most places if the tickets are being sold for higher than face value), I hope that somebody kicks him in the balls next time he walks down the street. It's nothing but a smaller scale form of insider trading, and he should be thrown in the slammer simply for being a cheapass. Talk about disrespecting the game, your fanbase, your organization, and the NHL. Unbelievable.

May 12, 2008  04:26 PM ET

hey he didn't get rich by wasting money on season tickets...you gotta be smart with your money..besides the owner should get in free anyway.

this will allow them to save enough cash to re sign gaborik to one of those 30 year 30 million $$ deals like dipietro got.

May 12, 2008  05:02 PM ET

If Lemaire is staying, Gaborik won't sign a long-term deal. That team will never win a championship with Jacques Lemaire coaching them. He is a great coach, but his system won't work in the playoffs (as evidenced by the loss to the Avs, a team that isn't even that fast). Teams like Detroit, San Jose, Edmonton, and Pittsburgh with the speed and offensive talent that they have will eat up Minny. The removal of the red line also hurt them, since stretch passes can beat the trap. Why would Gaborik stay in a system where he can't fully use his offensive talent when he could easily be a 50-goal scorer in a more offensive-minded scheme?

May 12, 2008  05:14 PM ET

the same reason anyone stays anywhere $$$$$...I agree he could be better utilized but he's done OK up there under that system.

May 12, 2008  06:08 PM ET

I hear ya GoCanada, but Minnesotan sports fans have had to endure years upon years of this sort of thing. I guess we're jsut used to it by now. Our Baseball team gets good, and we sell the palyers awa, not to build it up, to fatten our owners pockets. Our Basketball team just got rid of the toughest player on the planet in my opinion instead of surrounding him with talent here. Our football team astc liek it has ambition but gets rid of the best reciever we've seen since Rice, becuase he want to win. And our Hockey team tends to get a free pass because of Norm Greedy taking our team to Fricken 70 degree Dallas, and we're just happy we have a team again. Unfortunatly we have been used to this crap since our last championship in any sport came in 91. Personally, I wish our "fans" could purchase the team ala GB Packers. BUt I hear ya Canada, and It's nice to see someone recognizes the best Athlete/actor of our times, one Vinny Jones.

May 12, 2008  06:20 PM ET

So Minnesota - the "New Hockeytown", as they seem to want to call themselves, can't even get one of their own owners to pay market price to watch that boring-a&& style of hockey eh? With all the availability of tickets through "brokers" (I think WE call them scalpers up here), it makes one wonder as to the validity of all those "sell outs" they are always bragging about, doesn't it?
goCanada! | 05/12/08, 10:33 AM
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Haha, well maybe San Antonio or Houston needs a team? What is better, the San Antonio Wild or Houston Wild?

May 12, 2008  06:39 PM ET

How about the Wallawalla Wild? I don't know American geography (I know its in Washington) all that well (or town spelling for that matter) but what a name that would be! haha

 
May 12, 2008  06:48 PM ET

This is a funny story.

1. Its from the Pioneer Press.
2. All the games are sold out how else can he get Tix?
3. Arent scalpers more expensive when events are sold out?
4. Its from the Pioneer Press

I wanted to rent out a suite for work one night before food and drinks for 16 people it was $6,000 Grand. Who is paying $6,000 grand a night?

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