I'm not sure if this is genius or idiotic.

Predators looking to keep Blackhawks fans away
August 13, 2013, 6:45 pm

Blackhawks fans heading to catch the defending Stanley Cup champions in Nashville next season are going to have a hard time getting tickets.

At least the Predators hope so.

According to a report from Section 303, the Predators are instituting a few measures to ensure that the fans buying tickets aren't the ones planning a road trip from Chicago. Fans, regardless of their affiliation, won't be allowed to purchase single-game tickets to any of the three games between the Blackhawks and Predators in Nashville. They'll be forced to buy tickets to a second game. And, during the pre-sale period, zip-code restrictions will be implemented.

“For Blackhawks games, we want to make sure that we preserve this building as much as we can for those who live in Smashville,” said Predators president and chief operating officer Sean Henry.

"What it’s going to do by forcing another game is we’ll almost direct it toward people that live in the general area, for the most part. And (for the pre-sale) only those in the zip codes that we unlock can buy the Blackhawk game and a second game. So we’re breaking down every barrier we can to Keep the Red Out.”

Henry and the Predators seem hell bent on avoiding scenes from last season, when Bridgestone Arena was filled with red-sweatered Blackhawks fans. Of course, all their plans could crumble if Blackhawks fans remain persistent.

“They’re going to have to earn it,” Henry said. “And they’re going to help us continue to grow our roster by building our (revenue at the) gate. It’s that simple. In the end, we’re building something pretty special. If we have to do it off the backs of their fans a little bit, I’m not apologizing for it."

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Tried to do this last year with a bunch of buddies. But the airlines are smart assholes and jacked rates up. The Preds also were smart assholes and jacked rates up.

This really isn't a huge deal.

Shit will just get bought on Stub Hub.

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Friend of mine told me they normally jack the hotel rates too.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I'm more pissed about the Blue Jackets moving divisions. It was cheap as hell to go to a game there, the fans were cool and I got alot of free shit from Tim Horton.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Milwaukee did this with Miller Park a few years ago. Small towns, small minds.

Why would anyone want to watch a Predators game, anyway? They're boring!

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Isn't this Nashville's fault for not having a better fanbase?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Totally. Last year was a Bears home game in Nashville against the Titans. The Chicagoans drank the town dry that weekend too.

I'm sure hotel and business owners are not happy. What a terrible idea all around.

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Team Cutler.

Yeah. The read I get on the Predators' fanbase is that it's passionate but overall very small, kind of the stereotypical "15,000 fans and they're all at every game" thing. And still, they weren't even at the games until the team had one foot out the door for Hamilton back in the summer of '07, which probably would have happened had Balsillie not overplayed his hand and gone on Ticketmaster to sell Hamilton Predators season tickets before the sale actually closed. They were actually one of the best teams in the league in 05-06 and 06-07, but nobody gave a fuck.

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Next thing you know the owner will blackout home games in and around Nashville ....

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Haha.

I don't even know who owns the Predators anymore. The original owner sold it to a guy who went to prison for fraud, then it was taken over by a guy who didn't have any money. I think it's just some consortium of local businessmen, like the Blues and Oilers used to have.

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"So you call yourselves 'Predators' .... could you have a seat over there please?"

I wish you'd take a permenant trip to Poop Town, Speeps, you fucker!

As a Blackhawk fan in the 90s and 2000s, I remember the roar... of Detroit fans at every Red Wings game. For the love of God it was embarrassing. In reference to the earlier post, I always said, "why should I complain, its the team's own damned fault that they can't get a bigger season ticket base." That said, I found Detroit fans to be a knowledgeable and passionate bunch of people. I enjoyed having conversations with them during the game. When I go to Nashville? Most of the Hawks fans are the same morons I expect at Cubs games... they have no clue what hockey is and are just there to be seen and get drunk. It sucks for people like me who enjoyed the city and found the Nashville fans to actually be pretty cool; though, they are more like Wolves fans IMHO. I'll bet this backfires, more Predators ticket holders and scalpers jack up the price and more Blackhawk fans go out of spite.

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Generally how it goes. Cubs games at Miller Park were Cubbier than ever; that the Cubs went on to have a great regular season didn't help the Brewers' "Take Back Miller Park" cause. It's bullshit and the teams know it's bullshit. They just do it to say they're doing something. The Predators don't give a fuck who's at their games, and it doesn't "make their organization stronger" to sell tickets to 3 out of 45 games above market value. All that really matters is that they keep getting those fat, fat revenue sharing checks from the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.

EDIT: if anything, they're taking a big hit from getting busted down from three Wings games to one. Lot of Wings fans in Tennessee because all the plants moved down there to get away from the unions, which casts the Predators in a particularly shitheady light.

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Or St. Louis.

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013 ... d-jerseys/

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