The Winter Classic is an annual outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game played on or around New Year’s Day. The first Winter Classic took place in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Since then, the event has become a major part of the NHL season and has been held at iconic baseball and football stadiums across the United States and Canada.
The Winter Classic provides a unique experience for fans to see NHL hockey played in an outdoor setting, often with snow falling during the game. Tickets to the Winter Classic are highly coveted as the event routinely sells out. This raises an important question – do season ticket holders for the teams playing in the Winter Classic automatically receive tickets to the game as part of their season ticket package?
Background on the Winter Classic
The Winter Classic was first held on January 1, 2008, as part of the NHL’s initiatives to increase exposure and revenue. Playing the game outdoors was designed to evoke memories of pond hockey and engage new fans through the unique setting.
Some key facts about the history of the Winter Classic:
- The first Winter Classic in 2008 set an NHL attendance record of 71,217 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.
- In 2010, the Boston Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park, the first time the game was played at a baseball stadium.
- The 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium set a new NHL attendance record of 105,491 fans.
- The Winter Classic was not held in 2013 due to the NHL lockout that delayed the start of the season.
- The 2021 Winter Classic was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the years, the Winter Classic has become a major media and commercial event for the NHL. It typically generates strong television ratings and significant media coverage as it competes with college football bowl games played on the same day.
For the teams and cities involved, hosting the Winter Classic provides exposure, publicity, and revenue. As a result, interest from teams bidding to host the Winter Classic continues to grow.
Do Season Ticket Holders Get Tickets?
With the Winter Classic being such a popular event, there is significant demand for tickets beyond just the season ticket holders of the teams involved. This has led to inconsistencies over the years in terms of whether season ticket holders automatically receive tickets to the Winter Classic as part of their overall season ticket package.
There are a few factors that impact policies for season ticket holders and Winter Classic tickets:
- Venue size – If the Winter Classic is being held at a large stadium, there may be enough capacity to accommodate all season ticket holders. But if it is a smaller baseball stadium, capacity limits can come into play.
- Travel – For season ticket holders, traveling to the Winter Classic venue may require additional time and expenses if the game is not being held in the team’s home city.
- Opponent’s policies – The other team playing in the Winter Classic also has season ticket holders to accommodate for the game.
- League policies – The NHL ultimately has final say on ticket policies and may dictate that a certain allotment must be made available to the general public.
Looking at specific examples over the years can illustrate how team policies have varied:
Winter Classic Ticket Policies by Year
Year | Team(s) | Venue | Ticket Policy for Season Ticket Holders |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Season ticket holders were given the option to purchase tickets. |
2009 | Detroit vs. Chicago | Wrigley Field | Season ticket holders were guaranteed tickets. |
2010 | Philadelphia vs. Boston | Fenway Park | Limited number of tickets were set aside for season ticket holders. |
2011 | Washington vs. Pittsburgh | Heinz Field | Full season ticket holders received tickets, partial season ticket holders entered a lottery. |
2014 | Toronto vs. Detroit | Michigan Stadium | Each season ticket holder received a voucher for the option to purchase two tickets. |
This table demonstrates the inconsistent policies over the years – season ticket holders have been fully guaranteed tickets in some years, partially accommodated through vouchers or lotteries in other years, or not guaranteed tickets at all and simply given the option to purchase them.
Factors That Impact Season Ticket Holder Access
There are practical reasons why season ticket holder access to Winter Classic tickets varies so much from year to year. The main factors include:
Venue Capacity
If the Winter Classic is being held at a large NFL or college football stadium with 70,000+ capacity, there is ample room to ensure all season ticket holders can attend. However, baseball stadiums typically used for the Winter Classic have much lower capacities around 40,000. For teams with over 20,000 season ticket holders, it becomes impossible to guarantee them all tickets while also saving some for the general public.
High Demand
Part of what makes the Winter Classic so popular is that it attracts more than just hardcore hockey fans. Holding an outdoor game on New Year’s Day makes it a novelty event that intrigues casual sports fans as well. The resulting high ticket demand from multiple customer segments beyond season ticket holders reduces availability.
Travel Requirements
Unlike regular home games included in season ticket packages, attending the Winter Classic often requires significant travel for fans. If the game is a road game in another city, season ticket holders may not be able or willing to incur the additional time and expense for hotels, transportation, etc. Teams know this limits interest among their best customers in traveling to the Winter Classic venue.
League Policy
To protect the integrity and popularity of their marquee event, the NHL establishes guidelines on ticket allotments. The league wants some tickets available for fans of the visiting team and for general public sale. They may dictate that each team can only reserve a set percentage of tickets for season ticket holders.
Conclusions
In summary, season ticket holders are not universally granted access to purchase Winter Classic tickets each year. Teams handle ticket distribution on a case-by-case basis depending on factors like venue size, expected demand, required travel, and NHL policies. Some teams fully accommodate season ticket holders when feasible, while others can only provide partial access through vouchers or lotteries.
There are valid reasons for the inconsistencies across different Winter Classics. The event has grown to a point where tickets are scarce commodities. Though season ticket holders feel entitled to Winter Classic tickets as part of their overall packages, teams must weigh factors like venue capacity, travel difficulties, league mandates, and public demand when allocating tickets. This necessitates changing policies from year to year.
While the ticket-buying experience may sometimes be frustrating, most season ticket holders understand the realities involved in securing a seat at the ever-popular Winter Classic. And they appreciate that simply having season tickets improves their chances relative to the general public. The Winter Classic’s novelty and excitement remain strong enough that season ticket holders continue eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to attend a memorable outdoor NHL game on New Year’s Day.