It's Always About the Dollars

Despite the recession, despite the fact the Rangers as a team are regressing, and despite the fact that attendance for the 2009-2010 season is expected to decrease, the Rangers ticket prices will increase. Where's the logic in that? Sadly, James Dolan and his crooked accomplice Glen Sather don't have to worry about the Rangers attendance to significantly decrease - if at all - due to the price hike. One of the things that makes the New York Rangers such a great organization is their loyal fan base. A price hike is not going to seriously deter the fans from regularly attending games. How many years in a row have prices increased again? Does anybody know?

As much as I want to go on a rant because the salary cap is expected to go down in 2010 and therefor the cost of operation can't be significantly increasing so there is no need for a price hike I know there is a reason for the madness. The Garden is going to have renovations and the money needs to come somewhere, so why not from the fans pockets?

Nuts.

But to make you feel better, our fearless leader Glen Sather has wrote a reassuring letter to us, the loyal New York Rangers fans. It would almost lead one to believe that the Rangers have a real shot at a Stanley Cup next season.. 

Rangers Subscribers,

Five years ago, we made it our priority to build the New York Rangers team for long-term success by developing a core foundation of young players and adding key veterans as our youngsters matured. Our philosophy remains steadfast, and this past season, six young players whose NHL careers began here in New York played major roles in taking us to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Although we were not satisfied with this past season's results, we believe we are on the right track. We continue to focus on the development of players and are excited about several talented prospects in our system. At the same time, we still have work to do as we strive toward our ultimate goal — to compete for the Stanley Cup each and every season.

Under the direction of our new Head Coach, John Tortorella, you will see a retooled Rangers team in 2009-10 that will feature a system that emphasizes aggressive forechecking and puck possession. This up-tempo approach has made John an accomplished winner in the NHL, earning a Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year and delivering a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay in 2004.

The key objective for this off-season is to complement our strong defensive play and league-leading penalty-kill with more goal-scoring, stemming from this aggressive system. We are determined to add players who make significant contributions in 2009-10, enabling us to dictate the pace of the game on a regular basis.

With an All-Star goaltender, and a mix of accomplished veterans and hungry youngsters, we expect to make our fans especially proud this season. Your loyalty and enthusiasm has always made The Garden a very intimidating place for visiting teams, and you will see a team whose style of play makes it even tougher.

We remain humbled and thankful for your energetic support and look forward to seeing you at The Garden for a great season of Rangers hockey.

Sincerely,

Glen Sather, President and General Manager, New York Rangers

One last thing, isn't it very, very convenient that the due date is June 22nd? Well before free agency opens up.. 

UPDATE - Ticket Prices

For the 41 regular-season and three-game exhibition package, loyal Blue Note readers say the $52 seats are rising to $56, up $176. A $34 seat in Section 410 costs $37, an extra $132.>The less expensive seats aren't the only ones increasing: I'm told $89 seats are $95, $100 seats are $108, $164 seats are $170, $200 seats are $210 and so on...

Don't you enjoy paying for Wade Redden's salary? Times like these make me wish fans were like stock owners. I would say that 95% of fans would vote yes for the price hike if it meant that Redden would be waived and paid the $31 million to play in Hartford. Back to reality, let's try to enjoy watching #6 flounder on the Garden ice next season. Awesome.