NHL Panthers Raise Surcharge On Premium Tickets To $25

High-Demand Panthers Games  To Carry $25 Surcharge

The price of NHL Panthers season tickets for the '08-09 season "will remain largely unchanged," but single-game seats for "high demand" games will carry a $25 surcharge, according to Brian Biggane of the PALM BEACH POST.  Panthers President & COO Michael Yormark: "We're doing it mostly to protect our season seat holders. We did it last year and didn't get a lot of push back." Last year's surcharge for games was $10. Yormark "estimated the premium charge was implemented for seven to 10 games last season and predicted it will cover 10 to 13 games this season." Opponents for those games are expected to include the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Rangers, Penguins and Flyers. Yormark "defended the $25 surcharge as a case of supply and demand." Yormark: "The reality is you have to maintain the integrity of being a season seat holder, and this is one way of doing that." For the 11 categories of season tickets, "two will increase, four will decrease and the rest will remain the same." Yormark said that "season ticket sales this year are up about [5-7%]" (PALM BEACH POST, 6/10). In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay reports the "cheapest seats on BankAtlantic Center's terrace level will remain $17 for individual ticket buyers, but those will jump to $42 for premium games." Yormark said that a "limited number of $17 seats will be sold day of game" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 6/10).