Knicks fans have swarmed the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and the Hurricanes are likely to succumb to the same swarm of New Yorkers when the Rangers travel to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4 of the second round beginning Thursday night.
The Hurricanes aren’t so terrified that owner Tom Dundon is buying tickets himself Sixers-style.
But they are geographically limiting ticket sales to residents of North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Virginia, in an effort to ensure PNC Arena is clad in red.
This isn’t new — the Hurricanes and other teams, including the Rangers, have used similar metrics — but Carolina has a unique problem on its hands.
There are so many transplanted New Yorkers in the area that geoblocking is, at best, only a half-measure.
“I will take a chance on anyone with a New York area code or billing address looking to purchase tickets in Raleigh at the PNC Arena,” said Ryan Somerville, a Long Island native who moved to Charlotte in 2019 . The post office.
According to Julia Young of Vivid Seats, 24% of the seats at PNC Arena are expected to be occupied by Rangers fans for Game 3.
Although no one accepted the offer for this series on Wednesday, Somerville was able to secure tickets to past Rangers and Hurricanes games.
“I actually had a lot of people contact me directly,” he said. “More personal family and friends, but people from my high school called me and said, ‘Hey, is there any chance we can work something out?’ I said, “Yeah, absolutely. »
“People travel. Don’t underestimate the cost of Spirit or Frontier (low-cost airlines). People go to Raleigh because it’s very cheap and I think that’s what initially attracted many New Yorkers to move to the Carolinas. But the fandom follows, right?
Especially compared to the exorbitant prices at Madison Square Garden, it’s relatively affordable to go see a game at PNC Arena.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the lowest ticket price on VividSeats for Game 3 of the series was $127.
To get into Game 5 in New York, the bare minimum was $322, with most tickets listed for over $400, even in the upper bowl.
Two years ago, when the Rangers and Hurricanes played seven games in the playoffs, there was a notable fan presence in Raleigh throughout the series despite the same geo-blocking measures, particularly in Game 7, as the Rangers dominated 6-2.
The home team won each of the first six games of this series.
This time, the Rangers return to the road with a 2-0 lead after Vincent Trocheck won Tuesday night’s Game 2 in double overtime.
Carolina is known for having one of the loudest atmospheres in the NHL, but the fan community is concerned about keeping the building red.
A thread on the Hurricanes’ Reddit page leading up to the series with more than 100 comments criticized those reselling tickets.
“I really appreciate them doing their best to get rid of our home crowd advantage for a few extra bucks,” the original poster wrote.
If tickets sold directly by Carolina are geoblocked, the same is not true for those on the secondary market.
However, for those looking to buy at face value, there are always middlemen like Somerville, who will be in attendance at Game 4.
“When they see the Rangers fans walking in the grass parking lots with jerseys and hats and everything, you’re going to get a lot of boos, but you’re asking for it,” Somerville said. “That’s pretty much what a rivalry is. You expect this kind of warm welcome.
New York Post
