If you’re trying to watch Alex Ovechkin make history in person, prepare yourself for a risky, expensive gamble.
The Washington Capitals superstar scored twice Friday night to tie Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record, and the secondary ticket market responded in kind. By Saturday morning, the cheapest resale tickets for Washington’s next game, against the New York Islanders on Sunday, were between $600 and $700 apiece.
On StubHub specifically, the cheapest sets of two seats at UBS Arena (including fees) cost more than $800 apiece. Lower-bowl seats were, naturally, much pricier, with a few listings touching $2,000. Ticketmaster’s resale prices were in the same ballpark.
That’s a far cry from earlier in the week; an April 3 media release from ticket reseller TickPick, sent before the Capitals’ game in Raleigh, N.C., put the “get-in” price for Caps-Isles at $163. That was a 239-percent increase on what was once a $38 ticket. In the days since, that number has, of course, skyrocketed.
On Saturday morning, TickPick’s low-water mark for Caps-Isles seats was $650. It seems that the resellers were paying attention to Friday’s result.
Two games ago, the Capitals’ April 12 game in Columbus — not the one in New York — was the most expensive on TickPick’s board, at $256. At the time, expecting Ovechkin to need a bit more time was the sensible call. Since, though, he’s scored three more goals, tying Gretzky at 895 and making an April record-breaker feel like a near certainty.
The Capitals’ schedule, no doubt, plays a role in driving attention and demand; UBS Arena is an easy train ride from D.C., and the game is a Sunday matinee.
Whenever (and wherever) Ovechkin breaks the record, it won’t be on an empty net, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Friday night. Ovechkin opted out of taking the ice after the Chicago Blackhawks pulled their goalie in the closing minutes on Friday.
“He wants to break the record with a goaltender in the crease, which I appreciate,” Carbery said.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)