Perhaps the WCHA is discovering the maximum price that fans are willing to pay
for tickets.  The tournament package cost $75 plus TicketMonster fees, a
substantial increase over last year.  No more than 5000 ticket packages were
sold as of a week before the event.  Probably a bunch of them went to UND fans,
who counted on their team's appearance.  Fans of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and St.
Cloud, uncertain whether their teams would make it, appeared unwilling to buy
in advance.
 
There is a hard core group of fans (myself included) who go to the WCHA
tournament, wherever it is, whoever is in it, and whatever the price.  But,
that group isn't large enough to fill a 17,000 seat arena.   Tickets may now be
too expensive to attract the more casual fan.  If the WCHA measures success by
the number of fans it attracts, greed is getting in the way.
 
-- Erik
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.