The Penguins are doing what they can to avoid it, but the end of the team’s incredible 609-game full capacity sellout streak seems inevitable.
Pittsburgh opens the season Saturday against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Chicago Blackhawks, and many tickets are still available to be purchased.
The sellout streak began at Mellon Arena on February 14, 2007 against, go figure, Chicago. Fleury, then with the Penguins, made 28 saves that Valentines Day night, as the Penguins beat the Blackhawks, 5-4, in a shootout.
But, with eight straight home games on tap for the Penguins and many tickets still left unclaimed, this could be the end of the line for the streak.
The run of capacity crowds is nothing but remarkable but, if it does stop, it is certainly a sign of the times.
Post-pandemic crowds at sporting events in Pittsburgh — and nationally — have been thinner.
The Pirates, even when PNC Park’s capacity was expanded to 100% this summer, struggled draw fans. That, of course, can partially be attributed to the team’s struggles.
But the Steelers have averaged around 10,000 empty seats per game this season and the Penguins still have hundreds of seats available for Saturday’s game, and even more for Tuesday’s game against Dallas.
Currently, the cheapest Ticketmaster tickets for the Dallas game are $49.00, not including fees. Resale tickets on the site go for $29.00, not including fees. And there plenty to be purchased. You can get into Saturday’s home opener for $77.00, plus fees.
In an effort to fill PPG Paints Arena, the team has launched a campaign of ticket incentives and deals, including the return of a very popular past promotion, Student Rush.
Included in the re-launch of the program is a buy one, get one free discount for Tuesday’s game.
The 609 consecutive sellouts is the longest in NHL history, and is among the best in professional sports.
The Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls had a streak of 610 games that ended a couple of years following Jordan’s first retirement.
But, according to Yahoo!, the Dallas Mavericks own the longest active streak in American pro sports, breaking Portland’s mark of 814 games with their 815th straight sellout in February 2020.
The Boston Red Sox had a sellout streak of 820 games that ended in 2013.
So, comparatively, the 609 games sold out in a row, and the roughly 11 million fans welcomed into two different arenas by the Penguins has been a massive accomplishment by the organization. But, eventually, the time will come in which it ends. And that time might be coming very soon.