Canes fans brace for high ticket prices in Eastern Conference finals of Stanley Cup playoffs
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Excitement is building ahead of Thursday's game one of the Eastern Conference Finals, when the Montreal Canadiens come to Raleigh.
However, fans say the cost of getting inside the arena is anything but light.
"The Canes are on fire, they're playing well," one fan said Monday while browsing merchandise at the team store.
He said he moved to Raleigh a year ago from northern Virginia, where he had been a Capitals fan. But admitted that is changing quickly. "I thought I had to," he said. "If I was moving to another NHL city I had to support the local team and here I am," he said.
Still, he may be watching from home unless he can find tickets within his $150-$200 budget. "That might not go very far, particularly with the Eastern Conference final. The demand is high but some of the price on Ticketmaster say $500 for a seat up in the three hundreds. But I get that it's the playoffs. It's one of those things," he said.
At the state legislature, Senate Bill 849, otherwise known as the "Real Tickets, Real Fans Act" aims to curb ticket gouging on the resale market and limit bots and scammers from buying large quantities of seats. Some fans worry it may still be difficult to secure affordable tickets.
"Right now that's my first thought," season ticket holder Stacey Jacobs said. "It's totally worth it. It's one of the best sports. Everybody likes women and children," she said. "The playoffs are totally different. It's not like any game you've ever watched. It's it's a blast. High energy. Very high energy. You won't get bored."
A check of StubHub and Ticketmaster showed upperlevel seats listed well above $200. Jacobs said the experience is worth it if fans can manage to get inside.
National anthem singer Adam Lee Decker said he has seen resale prices spike in other major markets. "The Madison Square Gardens of the world, that's what they do," he said. But he added that he doesn't expect the same pattern locally. "I do love this place because I feel like it's something that is not going to happen."
The Real Tickets, Real Fans Act remains in a Senate committee and has not yet become law.
