Sabres ticket sales still pretty dismal

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, sabremike said:

The home opener took all the enthusiasm for this team and in one night killed it deader than a door nail. It sent the message out loud and clear that nothing had changed and this team and organization were still a waste of everyone's time and money.

Agree. And every game after that just adds to that feeling.

Going .500 at home with the fans is not going to bring anyone back. They need to come close to winning 3 out of every 4 at home over at least a half season for the fans to start to want to come back.  Not only have they not done that for years, they are taking further steps back in just the 2 weeks of this season so far.

[mjd1001]

At least the Sabres ECHL affiliate is doing well filling the Arena...

 

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by mjd1001

[matter2003]

Just now, mjd1001 said:

At least the Sabres ECHL affiliate is doing well filling the Arena...

 

 

Probably better than the Jaguars are doing.

[SwampD]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

At least the Sabres ECHL affiliate is doing well filling the Arena...

 

 

Wait. Wuht?!

When is the last time the Sabres had that?

[Taro T]

14 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Wait. Wuht?!

When is the last time the Sabres had that?

When was TO here last?

(Actually, the opener was close to a sellout.)

[mjd1001]

2 games in the next 2 days.  You want more people at the games, winning the next 2 might be a big step to getting there. Will it ensure sellouts? Nope, but it would put this team: 1.) on a 4 game winning streak.  2.) probably within a point or two of 2nd in the division  3.) equal to or ahead of the hate Maple Leafs in the standings. 4.) probably a top 10 team in the league standings 5.) probably top 10, or better, in goal differential.

So this fanbase is going to need a lot more than that to get to a sellout streak. But if the Sabres just win 2 games in 2 nights, the way the fanbase views this team might be better than it has....well, in years.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

2 games in the next 2 days.  You want more people at the games, winning the next 2 might be a big step to getting there. Will it ensure sellouts? Nope, but it would put this team: 1.) on a 4 game winning streak.  2.) probably within a point or two of 2nd in the division  3.) equal to or ahead of the hate Maple Leafs in the standings. 4.) probably a top 10 team in the league standings 5.) probably top 10, or better, in goal differential.

So this fanbase is going to need a lot more than that to get to a sellout streak. But if the Sabres just win 2 games in 2 nights, the way the fanbase views this team might be better than it has....well, in years.

We went on a tear last year and still didn't sell out some games, so I'm not buying this. I will say sales are soft while it's still Bills season. But if we are in a playoff spot by February and still not filling the building, we never will 

[PASabreFan]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We went on a tear last year and still didn't sell out some games, so I'm not buying this. I will say sales are soft while it's still Bills season. But if we are in a playoff spot by February and still not filling the building, we never will 

I'll go further and say it'll take a solid playoff "spot" for more of the casual fans to come out. Remember they were a point or two out before their trade deadline ish swoon, and the building wasn't full (IIRC).

[Pimlach]

Consistent near sell outs will happen if we keep winning, scoring, and playing exciting hockey - but competing with the Bills for entertainment dollars is not easy.  

After the football season, if we are still in the thick of it, they will come.  

Edited November 3, 2023 by Pimlach

[JoeSchmoe]

The exchange rate for Canadians right now is abysmal. This will affect me going to the games for sure.

Picking a random spot in the 100s, tickets would be $250CN straight from Ticketmaster. I feel like these seats might have only been $150CN tops a year or two ago when exchange was better and ticket prices were lower. With my wallet stretched as far as it thanks to inflation, I'm going to be a 300s guy if I'm going to any games this year.

Looking at the ticket map, it looks like the 300s are selling well, likely because that's all people can afford.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We went on a tear last year and still didn't sell out some games, so I'm not buying this. I will say sales are soft while it's still Bills season. But if we are in a playoff spot by February and still not filling the building, we never will 

Yeah, the STH base will never get larger than it currently is in the 1st season following a season with a winning record in ~11 years.  Especially if the team is in the playoffs.  So, the building will NEVER fill again with Sabres fans if there aren't 19k+ this February. 😒

The STH base has gone from ~4k --> ~8k --> 10k+ over the past 2 years.  When it's back in the 12-14k range and the Sabres are good, sellouts the last 2 months of the season will become a fairly regular occurance.  1-2 more years like last year (or better) will get it back to that level.

5 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

The exchange rate for Canadians right now is abysmal. This will affect me going to the games for sure.

Picking a random spot in the 100s, tickets would be $250CN straight from Ticketmaster. I feel like these seats might have only been $150CN tops a year or two ago when exchange was better and ticket prices were lower. With my wallet stretched as far as it thanks to inflation, I'm going to be a 300s guy if I'm going to any games this year.

Looking at the ticket map, it looks like the 300s are selling well, likely because that's all people can afford.

Nah, it's 'cause that's where all the cool kids are at.  😉

[Thorny]

22 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Probably better than the Jaguars are doing.

And AEW, for that matter 😬

[Thorny]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I'll go further and say it'll take a solid playoff "spot" for more of the casual fans to come out. Remember they were a point or two out before their trade deadline ish swoon, and the building wasn't full (IIRC).

Absolutely. It’s been 13 years. The casual fan (the majority of fans) need (see: deserve) to be rewarded with an actual, honest to goodness playoff spot.

Anything short of that by an inch might as well be a Grand Canyon. I do fully believe that once this team is back in, it will be ROCKING 

- - -

on another point, the Sabres at no point during the second half of last season had a good mathematical likelihood of making the playoffs. They went on a big swoon near the beginning of March, and to their credit clawed to *remain in it* until almost the end, but they were clawing back the entire time and it was never a likely proposition: where they finished after game 82 was the closest they got. I remember the narrative being that we “didn’t get meaningful games in March” again early in the month because we were well back. It’s not like they were ever within a point or two before that last game, hovering around, or in and out of, a spot. They were hanging from a thread for a month, fighting to stay in it, several games back, with several teams in between, for the duration of that stretch until the final game. 

it was a “still in it!” situation far more than a true race. Expect that to change this season 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Thorny

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

Absolutely. It’s been 13 years. The casual fan (the majority of fans) need (see: deserve) to be rewarded with an actual, honest to goodness playoff spot.

Anything short of that by an inch might as well be a Grand Canyon. I do fully believe that once this team is back in, it will be ROCKING 

- - -

on another point, the Sabres at no point during the second half of last season had a good mathematical likelihood of making the playoffs. They went on a big swoon near the beginning of March, and to their credit clawed to *remain in it* until almost the end, but they were clawing back the entire time and it was never a likely proposition: where they finished after game 82 was the closest they got. I remember the narrative being that we “didn’t get meaningful games in March” again early in the month because we were well back. It’s not like they were ever within a point or two before that last game, hovering around, or in and out of, a spot. They were hanging from a thread for a month, fighting to stay in it, several games back, with several teams in between, for the duration of that stretch until the final game. 

it was a “still in it!” situation far more than a true race. Expect that to change this season 

They were one point back of Pittsburgh for the final spot with a game in hand on Feb. 27.

I will continue to assert that KA's deadline performance broke that team's heart.

[Thorny]

11 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

They were one point back of Pittsburgh for the final spot with a game in hand on Feb. 27.

I will continue to assert that KA's deadline performance broke that team's heart.

And lost 10 of their next 12 at the beginning of March. So the longbottom leaf hasn’t slowed my mind yet. 

though their odds mathematically on Feb 27 were probably ok, wouldn’t have been 50%, but maybe perhaps just a shade or so below. So while not “likely”, as mentioned, I was somewhat wrong at least about them not being within a point at any other time in the second half. As for whether it was the actions of the deadline.. it’s possible tangibly but I’m not sure if I agree with you mentally: I feel like KA operated probably close to how one might have expected him to: ie the players wouldn’t have expected different. Just a guess though on that  

[PromoTheRobot]

22 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

They were one point back of Pittsburgh for the final spot with a game in hand on Feb. 27.

I will continue to assert that KA's deadline performance broke that team's heart.

What move did Kev fail to make that would have put them over the top? 

[PASabreFan]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

What move did Kev fail to make that would have put them over the top? 

It's not my job to know that. He didn't put them over the top. First goalies, now GMs. PTR, enabler of whiffs.

[LabattBlue]

Box office sales and the prices they charge, when you have 6000-7000 per game to sell, will aways be tough.

Get ST sales back up in the 15000 - 16000 range, improve the team, and the remaining 3000-4000 tix for box office sales will sell briskly. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by LabattBlue

[PromoTheRobot]

45 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

It's not my job to know that. He didn't put them over the top. First goalies, now GMs. PTR, enabler of whiffs.

Lol, what a cop out. You don't know what to do but you know whatever Adams did is wrong. Stop embarrassing yourself. 

[Randall Flagg]

31 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Lol, what a cop out. You don't know what to do but you know whatever Adams did is wrong. Stop embarrassing yourself. 

If a move didn't happen, no move ever could have happened. PA, I told you the Sabrespace commandment. Yet you taunt its most committed adherents 

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

If a move didn't happen, no move ever could have happened. PA, I told you the Sabrespace commandment. Yet you taunt its most committed adherents 

You can’t just assume the opposite either. 

[Weave]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Lol, what a cop out. You don't know what to do but you know whatever Adams did is wrong. Stop embarrassing yourself. 

The proof is in the outcome.

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Lol, what a cop out. You don't know what to do but you know whatever Adams did is wrong. Stop embarrassing yourself. 

Nah, this isn’t a good argument. This is the same thing as “oh, you think Olofsson sucks? I’d like to see YOU do better.” It’s weak sauce. You don’t need to be an nhl player to judge Olofsson *relative to his peers*. 
 

Same with KA. It doesn’t matter one iota if Johnny Internet can tell him how to Generally Manage better than he did. Why the heck would that matter? It’s a prestigious job! He gets measured relative to his peers. If you want to measure that, check out the standings 

1 minute ago, Weave said:

The proof is in the outcome.

Much more salient than me 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, Porous Five Hole said:

You can’t just assume the opposite either. 

See what @Weave said. Assumption need not apply 

[Porous Five Hole]

20 minutes ago, Thorny said:

See what @Weave said. Assumption need not apply 

I’m not passionate about this debate, but 1) I believe you can’t flame the GM for a lack of moves if you cannot express a jealousy over a logical move the guy didn’t make. And 2) the rebuild started when Eichel was traded, and that was 1.5 seasons ago. Can’t we agree that it was a seminal moment and the vacuum should start there?

What move did you see that the Sabres brass missed and should have made?  It is important to articulate this because otherwise we can just be mad at our GM for not trading for Connor McDavid every year. That’s not logical.