The Florida Panthers are set to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the NHL playoffs. The Panthers won Game 1 of the series with a 4-2 win on May 2. As the lower seed, the Panthers will play the first two games of the series in Toronto before returning to Sunrise. When the Panthers return to Sunrise for Games 3 and 4, ticket sales will be restricted to United States residents only in an effort to keep Maple Leafs fans out.[1]
A message on the Ticketmaster website on pages to purchase tickets for Panthers’ home games reads, “FLA Live Arena is located in Sunrise, Florida. Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of the United States. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of the United States will be cancelled without notice and refunds given.” Maple Leafs fans will still be able to purchase tickets, however, they will have to do so on the secondary market, likely at a much higher price.
The Maple Leafs have a rabid fan base that generally travels well to away games. In addition, this is the first time the Maple Leafs have advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2004, adding to the excitement and motivation for fans to attend away games.[2] Maple Leafs games in Florida also have had a tendency to bring in a significant number of Canadian fans, which could be a reason for the Panthers’ decision to try and maintain home ice advantage.
This strategy of restricting who can buy tickets on the primary market has been used many times before. The Carolina Hurricanes have a similar policy in place for their second round series against the New Jersey Devils.[3] In a statement on Ticketmaster, the Hurricanes state, “PNC Arena is located in Raleigh, NC. Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern parts of Virginia.” Across the country, the Vegas Golden Knights have no plans to restrict tickets sales for its second round matchup against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
The Panthers had the seventh-lowest average attendance in the NHL during the regular season, while the Maple Leafs had the fifth-highest average attendance. In addition, the Panthers have to compete for attendance with another local team, the Miami Heat, who are currently facing the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs. It will be interesting to see whether the excitement of the second round of the playoffs will be enough for Panthers fans to show up in waves. Will the Panthers be able to maintain home ice advantage or will the crowd be a sea of blue and white, hoping to help propel the Maple Leafs to the next round?
Featured Image Retrieved From: https://www.flalivearena.com/arena-info
[1] https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/nhl-playoffs-panthers-restrict-ticket-sales-for-home-games-vs-maple-leafs-to-u-s-residents-only/
[2] https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/36400631/panthers-restrict-ticket-sales-bid-keep-maple-leafs-fans-out
[3] https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/panthers-restricting-ticket-sales-for-series-against-maple-leafs-to-u-s-residents/
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