How Do Canes STH.. err.. STM Costs and Perks Compare?

Now that Canes fans have had a chance to digest some of the changes in the 2016-17 season ticket renewal packet, I thought it was time to see how being a season ticket holder member with the Canes compares to other teams with similar markets or levels of demand.

All the information I’ve gathered is from public-facing pages within each team’s official website. In the interest of fairness, I have not gathered any additional information from any team, including the Hurricanes. I wanted this to be what Joe/Jane hockey fan would see were they looking for season tickets across the league.

Another note: the prices and perks I found and compared are only for each team/venue’s equivalent to section 328. Almost every team offers greater perks for front row and club seats, I did not include those. Also, I only looked at full season ticket benefits here. The perks and pricing for partial season tickets will likely be different from the information I assembled.

So how do the offers from the Canes stack up? Are they a good value? Great value? Greatest value? GreatestEST value? Well, let’s take a deeper dive.

Litmus Test Road Trip

YOUR Carolina Hurricanes kick off their second 5-game road trip of the season tonight against the Dallas Stars. Currently the Canes are last in the division, and only ahead of Buffalo in the NHL standings. For the optimists, Carolina is only 5 points out of third place – and a playoff spot- in the Metro.  With non-eastern time zone games against a struggling Dallas club, a Kings squad that just added McBain (LOL), and an Avalanche team that is as predictable as Patrick Roy’s emotions, the Canes will bookend Thanksgiving with matchups against the surprisingly decent Panthers, and the absurdly good Penguins.

Yes, I know the Canes will travel by air.

Expansion? In MY NHL? It’s More Likely Than You’d Think

The rumor of expansion/relocation in the NHL has been around for as long as the Coyotes have struggled to draw fans. But yesterday, in the waning days of August, these persistent rumors picked up steam and everything else in their path, Katamari style.  Supposedly, it’s a “done deal” that there will be a team in Las Vegas and one in Seattle won’t be far behind. By 2017, we could be looking at a 32 team league, with Quebec and a second Toronto-area team joining the mix. Whew!

Bettman’s Vegas Wonderland