Minnesota Stadium Series game vs. Blackhawks fails to sell out
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Wild’s outdoor game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday did not sell out.
The NHL announced attendance figures for the game, and the total reached 50,426. TCF Bank Stadium holds near 52,500 fans.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Wild sold 35,000 tickets and the Blackhawks sold 10,000 tickets. On Wednesday, the Wild received 4,000 additional tickets from the NHL and had no opportunity to sell them. As of three weeks ago, the Wild said they had 400 tickets left.
This is just the second NHL Stadium Series game that didn't sell out.
When prices were revealed in August, tickets were the following: $449, $359, $299, $224, $164, $140 and $109.
The NHL sets the price of tickets, and they included the Saturday alumni game and Sunday’s Stadium Series match up. A total of 37,922 people were at the alumni game.
The game itself involved a little bit of snow in the first period, but mostly cloudy conditions with a puck-drop temperature of 35.6 degrees fahrenheit.
Areas of TCF Bank Stadium were sprinkled with maroon and gold, the colors of the empty seats. Some fans were disappointed that the locals couldn’t pack the stadium.
“It’s pretty tough to hear,” said Claudia Witzel of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. “It’s a beautiful day. Why not come out and watch the Wild?”
Some didn’t mind and felt those who didn’t go to the game were missing out. “It doesn’t matter if a few seats aren’t filled,” said Caroline Cayot of Woodberry.
The price of tickets didn’t seem to bother the people who were at the game. And they didn’t hear much griping after they were announced.
“I don’t think the tickets seemed that much more expensive than regular season tickets,” said Shane Ryan of Mankato. “I personally don’t think it’s a big deal if they don’t sell out. I think it’s a huge game either way. I think it’s more about the game itself. The atmosphere is important.”
The players still enjoyed the atmosphere overall, praising the conditions which were solid from an outdoor playing perspective.
"I was trying to soak it all up. Standing on the blue line for the National Anthem and trying to look around and take it all in. TV timeouts, you're definitely looking up into the crowd," defenseman Ryan Suter said. " The ice was in great shape."
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
