The FleetCenter has "proven to be something far less than a
hypnotic show," according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the BOSTON
GLOBE, who examines the troubles both the Celtics and Bruins are
having selling tickets for their upcoming seasons. Each team is
"stockpiled with more unsold seats to more games than they've had
in decades" and that tickets are being discounted in ways that
team officials "didn't dream necessary." Dupont writes that
unless there is "an unlikely rush" in the next few weeks, the
clubs will enter the season with an average of "nearly 4,000
seats per game" available. Bruins Dir of Ticket Operations Matt
Brennan: "A lot of people don't understand you can still buy
tickets to Bruins games. ... There is an assumption out there
that there are no tickets to buy. However, it's not the truth."
None of the Bruins 41 home games are sold out and the team's
season ticket base has decreased by nearly 1,500 since last year,
a "recovery from the initial drop of some 2,500."
CELTICS: Celts Exec VP/Marketing & Sales Stuart Layne says
they have had to change its pricing structure and a drop in
season ticket subscriptions has prompted the team to run a radio
ad to "ferret out lost members of their once miles-long waiting
list." The team has created "a priority waiting list," fans who
want "choice seats." The Celtics report a dropoff of 800 season
tickets, after an initial drop of 2,200 at the end of '95-96
(BOSTON GLOBE, 9/24).
