Charlton's NHL Notebook: Flames Raise Ticket Prices May 22, 2001
It could be worse.  That's the good news.  After a fifth
straight non-playoff year not to mention 12 years and counting
since the last time Calgary advanced past the first round of the
post-season, it would be hard to picture a more galling set of
circumstances for the Flames to be hiking ticket prices.  Yet
worse examples abound.  In Chicago last season, the Hawks raised
ice-level seats from $8,000 CDN for a pair to $30,000 CDN,
effectively ejecting people who had held the seats for decades,
then acted surprised when they suffered the largest attendance
drop of any NHL team.  Two years ago, after the Stars won the
Stanley Cup, there was a near revolt in Dallas when ticket
prices shot into the stratosphere, but attendance held firm, the
lure being a consistent winner.  Therein lies the difference -
winning sells.  But there are other difficulties besides
fielding a contender when running an American business like the
NHL in a Canadian city.  As