The Canadiens have informed fans by email that tickets for the '17-18 season will be "available in mobile format only," and season-ticket holders will "receive the tickets electronically on their smartphones," according to a front-page piece by Stu Cowan of the MONTREAL GAZETTE. Those who want printed tickets "can obtain them for an additional cost of $150, plus taxes, per seat." Season-ticket holders also "pay an administration fee of $100, plus taxes." In the letter to season-ticket holders, team management "cites security, ease of use and environmental sustainability as reasons for the change." Some fans, however, are "calling the new fees a cash grab." Season-ticket holders must pay for their seats by Aug. 2. The Canadiens will "announce the dates of sale for individual game tickets at the beginning of September." The cheapest ticket for a game in the lower-bowl Red section for the coming season "will be $147, with that price climbing to $235 for an optimum game." The cheapest seat in the lowest-priced Molson Canadian Zone "will be $59 for a regular game and $89 for an optimum game" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 7/21). In Toronto, Lance Hornby notes MLSE has "begun considering a similar move to e-tickets" for its franchises, including the Maple Leafs, but "not for this season" (TORONTO SUN, 7/21).
