Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment apologized Thursday after a technical glitch temporarily shut out fans who were trying to score NHL playoff tickets.
A limited number of tickets were supposed to go on sale on Ticketmaster.ca and MLSE.com at 10 a.m. Thursday, but the sites experienced a technical issue. By the time the problem was resolved shortly after 11 a.m., all the tickets appeared to be sold out.
Ticketmaster Canada apologized to customers shortly after on its Twitter account, saying: “There was an error that has now been corrected. We apologize. Please follow emailed links for tickets.”
Speaking with reporters Thursday, MLSE vice-president Bob Hunter said both MLSE and Ticketmaster are “extremely apologetic” for what he called “human error.”
“The link that we had set up unfortunately had some inaccuracy in the detail so when the fans actually clicked on it at 10 a.m. it did not go to the proper location,” Hunter told reporters.
“(Ticketmaster) had it fixed within about 30 minutes but we didn’t realize until we got fan feedback, that in fact the link was inaccurate.”
Fans can be assured that the link will work next time tickets go on sale, Hunter added.
Earlier in the day, many fans vented their frustration on Twitter.
“This isn’t fair I wanted to attend a playoff game. I cleared up my morning to purchase tickets. @MapleLeafs and for what to be denied,” tweeted @navivilla.
Some fans, however, assumed they had missed their chance. “10am sharp with 3 computers & 2 phone lines ready to pounce on Maple Leafs playoff tix … SOLD OUT :(,” tweeted @UlanaChaburksy.
In order to purchase tickets, fans were required to sign up in advance of Wednesday. Only the 72,000 members of the team’s Last Minute Club were allowed to buy 750 tickets available for each of the Leafs’ first two playoff games, Hunter said.
The first-round NHL playoff schedule will be announced after the weekend.
Given the limited inventory, Hunter said MLSE will look at a possible change in procedure for future playoff home games.
“We’ve had some discussions about actually doing a lottery which may in the eyes of our fans be more fair,” he said.
Fans can expect to see a steep price hike from regular-season tickets. According to Ticketmaster.ca, the price range for regular-season tickets, including fees, is $78.75 to $485.75. For the first home game of the first round of the playoffs, the ticket price range is $56.75 to $796.75.
Though fans have expressed frustration over the cost of tickets, Hunter said MLSE will be “sticking with its pricing strategy.”
Those prices, however, might seem reasonable in comparison to a pair of tickets being sold by an eBay user who is selling game seven seats of the Stanley Cup Final for $13,567.56. The tickets are for section 117, row 27 in the Air Canada Centre.
The last time the Leafs were in the playoffs was nine years ago.
