Rivalry extends to ticket sales

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- When tickets went on sale for the Eastern Conference finals, Buffalo sold out its home games in a matter of 12 minutes.

Sabres fans gloated that the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo's opponents in the third round, weren't moving their tickets as fast. In fact, many among the Sabres faithful scooped up tickets for the first two games of the series at the RBC Center.

But there's a method behind Buffalo's ticket-selling prowess. When Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn first proposed it a few years ago, some might have called it madness, but his concept helped save the franchise -- bankrupt just three years ago -- and fill the 18,690-seat HSBC Arena.

Quinn's plan: radically slash prices for season-ticket holders and variably price all other tickets for different games. The Sabres also maintained the discounts for season-ticket holders in the first two rounds of the playoffs this year, with a slight increase in prices for the Eastern Conference finals that's in stark contrast to the hefty price raise made by the Hurricanes that stunned and angered some of their fans.

For example, season-ticket holders pay $17 for seats in the 300 Level III in the upper deck at HSBC Arena during the regular season. For the Eastern Conference finals, the average price is $20 per ticket.

The box-office price for the same level is $40 during the regular season. For the third round, they're $100.

"We've had some dark days," Quinn said Thursday of the franchise. "But since that time, it has been positive."

The Sabres stand two victories away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals as they go into Game 4 today against the Hurricanes. An NHL franchise that played its first season in 1970-71, the Sabres have yet to bring the big silver Cup to Buffalo.

But in 2002, the Sabres' logo could have been a beggar with a tin cup. They were on the brink of disaster -- owner John Rigas facing charges of fraud and embezzlement, the league taking over the franchise. There also was talk of relocation: to Portland, Houston or Las Vegas.

"We didn't know where we were going to be," said defenseman Brian Campbell, who was listed as a creditor in the Chapter 11 filing because of signing-bonus money owed him.

But Tom Golisano, a Rochester billionaire, bought the team in March 2003. Quinn, a former team president, soon followed.

Next season, the Sabres expect to have a season-ticket base of more than 11,000. Quinn said the team will turn a profit this year for the first time in more than 20 years -- perhaps $4 million, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

"The Sabres were in a market that was a proven market going back to the '70's," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday. "Then they got in a period where the economy affected the franchise and some things that happened. They're fortunate that they got a great owner to come in with some new ideas and they're being rewarded for it."

Quinn did not believe it was fair that a season-ticket holder might be seated next to someone who paid a third of the price for a ticket because of promotions.

"We felt that was like the airlines do: the most valued business customer pays the most and the guy who plans a long weekend six months in advance gets the big discount," he said. "To me, that was counter-productive."

The team committed to seeing that the season-ticket price, per game, match the lowest price in the same sections for any game. All other tickets would be variably priced in four classifications: gold, silver, bronze and value.

For the eight "gold" games, considered the best draws, the best seats available at the box office costs $140. A season-ticket holder pays $69 for the same seats.