Free NHL Playoff Tickets!

Two more NHL teams are giving fans a break on ticket prices. Season subscribers in San Jose will pay less for playoff tickets this spring. For opening round games, season ticket holders will be exempt from the traditional playoff markup, paying regular season prices for their seats. It's not much of a break, but it's something.
A far more radical plan is in the works on Long Island.

The Islanders are offering free playoff tickets to anyone who signs up for a full-season package for next year. The offer is good for every home game in the first two playoff rounds, if they get that far.

But wait! There's more! If next season is interrupted by a labor dispute, Islanders' season ticket holders stand to make a little cash. For every games cancelled, tickets will be refunded with two percent interest.

"This is a reflection of our commitment to the fans who have supported the Islanders so strongly, especially during our revival over the last three seasons," says the team's owner, Charles Wang.

It's actually a reflection of the fact that no one on Long Island goes to hockey games anymore. But give Wang and his managers credit. Faced with a product that isn't selling, they responded as any business should.

Such discount programs should finally put to rest the old canard about ticket prices being driven by players' salaries. An NHL ticket, like any other commodity, is priced according to supply and demand. Fill the building every night, and prices are sure to rise. Leave acres of empty seats for every home game, and prices inevitably fall.