Professional hockey, like most major sports, believes that meaningless doesn't necessarily translate into cheap.
Despite the fanaticism I displayed last year, as well as my great anticipation of the upcoming NHL season, I’ve realized why I haven’t attended any preseason games, at least as yet. From reading a couple of pieces (notably E.J. Hradek of ESPN's weblog) about how the league manages exhibition contests, it’s all very clear. First of all, teams are only required to dress eight players who are considered veterans.  To add insult to injury, these rarely are stars, or even solid regulars, especially early in the schedule. This brings up another problem with games that don’t count: players like the Pens’ Evgeni Malkin and Jackets’ Sergei Fedorov can injure themselves while playing for nothing in the standings. After all, the majority of players keep themselves in such great shape that extended training camps seem unnecessary. Finally, though, there is one key element that explains why I did not find it necessary to venture to the Pond: cost. My sister and I were given two free seats to the preseason opener last year against San Jose. However, without complimentary passes this time, I faced paying $16.25 at the cheapest, which is the same as a regular season game. Without much in the way of discount at eBay, it’s easy to see why even puckheads like me allow the arena to remain vacant. Not even the team, which aggressively discounted regular season tickets in 2005-06, seems to be interested in filling the seats. I suppose their rationale is that the diehards will actually pay regular season prices for a far lower-quality product. Either that, or they believe that the eventual presence of big names like Teemu Selanne (Anaheim) or Brendan Shanahan (NY Rangers) on the ice will lure customers.  In the Anaheim market, perhaps lack of television coverage might be perceived as another reason for spectators to show up.