NHL Seattle has taken a hard-line approach to touts by removing “known brokers” from its list of 32,000 season ticket deposits.
The expansion franchise, which is set to debut in the 2021-22 season, has begun cancelling and refunding those that have been flagged by the team for past resale activity.
However, according to the Seattle Times, the club has not only been targeting touts, but fans have also reported having their season tickets revoked. One fan told the newspaper that he frequently attends out-of-town sporting events and acquired NHL Seattle tickets to “attend a few games but sell the majority.”
NHL Seattle by spokesperson Katie Townsend said, according to the newspaper: “We understand that our season-ticket members may, on occasions, want or need to share or resell their tickets, and we are focused on making that experience safe and secure.”
The statement said NHL Seattle pulled “known broker” deposits to better serve fans wanting to watch the team. “Our goal is to create an arena filled with passionate NHL Seattle fans.”
The franchise said it plans to make depositors — who will begin selecting seats soon — more aware of future resale restrictions in coming weeks.
The team is scheduled to play at the new NHL arena in Seattle, which is on course to open in the summer of 2021 as construction work continues on the site of the former KeyArena facility. The arena, which will have a capacity of 17,400 for ice hockey games, broke ground on December 5 last year and is expected to cost around $930m (£749m/€844m).
Image: Markus Spiske
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