In Ottawa, Ken Warren noted the Senators' Game 2 win over the Rangers on Saturday in the Stanley Cup Playoffs "came in front of a sellout crowd of 18,679." The "full house" in the Canadian Tire Centre "erased some of the bad memories and embarrassment of the series opener, when the Senators fell more than 1,800 short of a sellout." That "marked the first time in a decade that Ottawa fans failed to deliver a sellout at the arena for a playoff game." However, there were "countless explanations for the surprisingly low tournout." But Warren noted after games like Saturday, there "should be more sellout crowds as the Senators' playoff run continues" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 4/30).
HIGH RISE: In Boston, Fluto Shinzawa wrote it is "puzzling" that the Sabres "asked the Rangers for permission" to interview Assistant GM Chris Drury for their open GM position. Drury is a "promising executive," as he was "part of the team that convinced" LW Jimmy Vesey to sign with the Rangers. But Drury has "not even completed his first full season" as Rangers GM Jeff Gorton’s assistant. It would "benefit neither Drury nor the Sabres to accelerate his management development so rapidly" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/30).
BUSINESS IS GOOD: In Tampa, Ashley Gurbal Kritzer noted the Lightning may have missed the postseason, but so far it is "not affecting" Exec VP/Sales & Marketing Jarrod Dillon's "ability to sell season tickets." The Lightning are "on track to sell 14,500 full-season equivalent tickets" for the '17-18 season. Dillon called that the "number we are at ideally." The Lightning "do not officially cap season ticket sales." The team was heading towards a 90% season-ticket renewal rate as of last Tuesday, and Dillon said that he expects to be at or above 90% "after a weekend event at Amalie Arena that [allowed] renewing ticket holders to choose their seats in person" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/28).
BLOCK PARTY: The GLOBE & MAIL's Scott Wheeler wrote with the Maple Leafs' return to the postseason for the first time in four years, Toronto-area restaurants and sportswear stores as "much as doubled their sales during the team’s two-week playoff run." Hockey HOFer Wayne Gretzky’s eponymous Toronto sports bar had a roughly 100% "boost for each of the Leafs’ six games against the Capitals" (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/29).
