97.5 Percent

by Ryan

Blame the fans, blame the variable ticket prices, or blame the day it was held on, but 18,217 is not a sellout in HSBC Arena.

It's a pretty big swing from a team expecting to sell out the season in ten days.

So what does it mean? Not much to me. The stat was nice, but there was no way we were going to sell out 359 straight games. An eight year sellout streak is almost impossible to break in this day and age, not to mention the 2,000+ more seats at HSBC than the Aud.

Does this mean people care less? No. Take into account the high price for a Gold ticket, the major turnoff of sitting near drunk Leafs fans, and the weeknight effect and you really can't blame people for wanting to sit this one out.

To say no one cares anymore is quite a stretch, it's just that fans value other games more than more than an early season Monday night Leafs game. I know when I sat down to pick out my minipack, I could pick one Leafs game or two or three cheaper games. I went with quantity, and it seems that many others did as well.

Personally I can't see paying for a "Golden Ticket" unless it is something I really, really want to see. To be honest, I will probably plunk down top dollar to see Chris Drury when he comes back in February. That game is something I feel like I need to be there for. However, until that feeling hits for a Leafs game, count me as one on the couch.