Renewing My Season Tickets for the Washington Capitals

Well, at the beginning of the season, I thought these tickets were too expensive and a waste of money. How fast things change after dumping a crappy coach and making some key trades after the All-Star game. (I hope they can re-sign Federov.)

You have to understand something. I am not an NHL hockey fan. I like to watch hockey. I really don’t actually care who is playing. Because I don’t have any friends who play club hockey in DC, I decided to buy some professional league tickets last season and give it a try. It was fun enough that I thought I should buy season tickets for 2007-2008 to have something to do with a boyfriend who likes sports. I actually hate the Southeast Division because I don’t know any of the teams. I grew up in Philly and there is still a small pull at my heartstrings for the Broad Street Bullies. These expansion teams in Florida don’t mean anything to me at all.

When deciding to get tickets, I calculated which seats were the cheapest/best value for me and bought them. I figured out that I could miss 13 games and still come out ahead on the face value of the tickets. I sold off a bunch of games at cost to friends and gave away a bunch as birthday presents and gifts to friends. At $30 a pair, that makes a nice present without being ridiculously generous. I think I only wasted about 4 games worth of tickets out of 41 regular season games and 4 pre-season games.

Of course, by game 35, I was sick of going to The Phone Booth, aka the Verizon Center, and eating their concession food. I sold off the last three games, with some mild regret. My tickets for the last regular season game on Saturday night went to a friend who is a huge San Jose Sharks fan. He misses pro hockey and I was glad to unload the tickets. However, when I found out I could have put them up on Stub Hub for $200 apiece, I was naturally kicking myself. That’s one-third of the price of my season tickets! It was really exciting and I kind of miss not going, but at least my friend is someone who can appreciate what the Caps have done this season.

As a season ticket holder, I have purchased my playoff tickets already. There are privileges to having season tickets. The perks are ok. Special invitation-only events where you can meet the players, etc. I bought 100-level seats for the Penguins-Caps games for a me and a friend who is a Pittsburgh native at a steep discount. I also got 4 100-level seats for free and shared them with another couple that holds season tickets in the 400-level.

I waffled on renewing since I bought the tickets with a boyfriend I am no longer dating. However, I decided to renew the tickets for two reasons: 1. I wanted to secure my playoff tickets. 2. I found that I like hockey enough to want to go again next year. It also helps that my new boyfriend also enjoys hockey and also has the money to share the expense of tickets with me. We have the opportunity to upgrade seats later in the year at a Select-A-Seat event, where you get to see what seats are open and move. I happen to like my row and section, but we’re talking about springing for 100-level seats because we can afford it and there is a different level of energy down in the bowl of the stadium. I’m staring at my budget and trying to make an extra $100 a month for making this happen.

Really what I’m trying to express here is GET THE RED OUT and GO CAPS! Sure, it’s costing me a lot of green, but I have really enjoyed watching Ovechkin do some amazing things, and Semin turn into a pivotal player (he was about to get traded for lackluster performance if he didn’t turn it around this year). Kolzig got his 300th career win, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am really ambivalent and I still nurse some distaste for the Caps since I didn’t grow up with them, but I have playoff fever like everyone else in town and I am SUPER EXCITED for the team. I never thought my investment in hockey tickets would give me this much enjoyment. Hockey is as volatile as the stock market.

It was worth the money though. Every penny.

ps- If you are in DC, please be aware there is a new 10% tax on sporting tickets. It’s bumped up the price of my renewal by $120. Might want to budget that in. FWIW, I went from a monthly charge of $100 to $114 from season to season on the extended payment plan.