Red Wings Single Game Tickets Are Now On Sale And They Are Pricey

Photo credit:@LCA_Detroit

6 years ago

The Red Wings’ new arena has been a hot topic with fans around the league after the team shut the doors permanently on the historic Joe Louis Arena in favour of a newer, more modern arena. While it was hard saying goodbye to The Joe, every rational fan will tell you that it was necessary. Joe Louis was the second oldest arena in the league behind Madison Square Garden and it didn’t undergo a billion dollar renovation like it’s older cousin.

Instead, it was decided that a new arena would be built, one that could house multiple sports and concerts, and would be accompanied by a district of bars, restaurants, and townhomes in an effort to continue the revitalization of downtown Detroit.

All Summer, we’ve been receiving teaser updates of images and videos of the new arena’s features as the team builds the anticipation for opening night. Trips to games have been planned around the regular season schedule that was released back in June. There was one missing piece of the puzzle for fans to pull the trigger: single season ticket sales.

Yesterday, single game tickets went on sale, so I decided to hop onto Ticketmaster and see what kind of damage visiting LCA in its inaugural season would do to my wallet.

Opening Night

If you’re reading this and still planning on getting opening night tickets, I regret to inform you that you are badly out of luck. Tickets for the home opener against the Minnesota Wild went fast. When I logged in at 10:03 AM, a mere 3 minutes after tickets went on sale, there wasn’t much left. I did manage to secure a couple of tickets in the upper bowl all the way at the back, but quickly abandoned them when I saw the price tag. While I appreciate that this is a big event for the team, I can’t justify spending $175.00 USD on a single upper-bowl ticket. That’s just the cost for entry. Add a couple of beers, maybe a bag of popcorn to your night, and suddenly it turns into a $200+ night. Now imagine a family or three or four wanting to take their kid(s) to the game.

Don’t bother with the re-sale market, either. At the time of this writing, the cheapest available ticket on StubHub was in section upper-bowl 218, row 11, for $229.99 USD each. And that was part of an inseparable pair, so really the price tag was $459.98 for a pair of tickets. The cheapest single seat available was in section upper-center 226, row 3, for $235.00 USD.

That’s a lot of money to see a mediocre team that will have a hard time making the playoffs.

Weekdays

After opening night, ticket prices fall significantly and games become a little more affordable for the average fan once again. The second game in LCA on Monday, October 16 against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning has tickets as low as $50.00 still available, though they are in the upper-bowl and way at the back. On average, it seems upper-bowl tickets are going for $75.00/ea, while the Mezzanines are selling for $85.00/ea and the lower bowls for $120.00/ea.

These prices are the same for all weekday games, except for Original 6 matchups where prices are higher.

Weekends

Tickets to weekend games are, understandably, harder to find. The first weekend home game of the season is on Friday, October 10th against the Washington Capitals. It is almost completely sold out on Ticketmaster. I found a late-November game on a Saturday against the New Jersey Devils that wasn’t sold out yet and was able to confirm that ticket prices for weekend games are much higher. A ticket in the upper-bowl on a Satuday night is going for $120.00. The Mezzanine is listed for $135.00 and the lower bowl is as high as $170.00.

How does this compare to the rest of the league?

While it’s hard to compare ticket prices to other teams and markets across the league, I’d say that the Red Wings ticket prices have landed on the higher end of the spectrum, especially considering how many games they’ll realistically win. Fans in New Jersey can see a Devils game for $40.00 (upper-bowl), while fans in Columbus can see their Blue Jackets play for as low as $32.00 (upper-bowl) and as high as $132.00 (against the glass). On the other side, fans in Toronto can’t go to a Leafs game for less than $100 CAD (They can buy standing room tickets for $45.00). In Chicago, ticket prices range from $50.00 (standing room) to $265.00 (10 rows from the ice).

Conclusion

Ticket prices for the inaugural season at LCA are pretty high considering the team is not poised to be a contender. Even when they’re playing non-contending teams, ticket prices are unreasonable. I certainly won’t be paying more than $50 to see two mediocre teams battle it out on a Saturday night. I’ll even have a hard time forking up more cash to see McDavid or Crosby in town. When I go to Red Wings games, I want to see the Red Wings be competitive. I don’t want to see them destroyed by the competition.

I’ll definitely be attending a couple of games this year in the upper bowl, but they’ll likely be on weeknights. I’m curious to see how ticket sales do overall, though. This team is at a crossroads in that they are on the cusp of a rebuild, but refuse to give in to it. If their profits take a hit in their first season in a new arena, it could be the final straw on ownership’s back to make a change at management level. Will fans buy into the hype that is the inaugural season of Little Caesars Arena? Or will they refuse to support a self-destructive team that refuses to make moves for the long-term health of this roster? Let us know which path you’re taking in the comment section below.

For those interested, they can browse available tickets and prices here.

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