Ticket sales for the Hurricanes have been "surging throughout the offseason in spite of the team's league-worst attendance last season," according to Ben Pope of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. Hurricanes President Don Waddell said that "compared to this time last year, new season-ticket package sales are up" about 40% and overall ticket sales revenue is up about 60%. Waddell said that the team's "existing season-ticket member renewal rate" stands at 90%. Last summer, the team achieved an 87% renewal rate but did not do so until September, and only about 72% renewed the previous summer. Waddell said that the team has "been able to reach a lot more people" after increasing the "number of sales department employees from eight to 32 last year and maintaining that staff this year." The Hurricanes have taken other steps to "include feedback from ticket holders." Friday night home games next season will be at 7:30 instead of 7 to "accommodate fans traveling from work," and the number of complimentary tickets has been "greatly reduced in order to steady the market value of a standard ticket." The Hurricanes last year averaged an NHL-low 12,203 fans per game. The Hurricanes and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "have shot down speculation" surrounding the possibility of relocating to Quebec. Waddell recognizes that the "chatter won't stop until attendance visibly improves, and that the team must end its ongoing seven-year postseason drought in order for that to happen" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/20).
