There are “more than 1,500 tickets available” for the Oilers’ home opener on Sept. 29 against the Canucks, not including resale tickets, according to Steven Sandor of the EDMONTON JOURNAL. Available tickets are “evenly split between the upper and lower bowls” at Rogers Place, which lists its capacity at 18,500 for hockey. The pattern of unsold seats “continues through most of October’s home games,” including an Oct. 22 visit from the Stanley-Cup champion Hurricanes and an Oct. 28 game against the Flames. The only October game Ticketmaster is “showing as a near-sellout” is the Oct. 24 Saturday-night matchup against the Maple Leafs. The Oilers average attendance last year surpassed 18,300, and sellouts are “considered the norm.” Oilers Entertainment Group spokesperson Kevin Rapanos said that the team is “not overly concerned about those blue dots at this stage.” Sandor noted the team is holding a select-a-seat event on Sept. 26 for prospective season-ticket buyers. He added a season ticket is “a major purchase.” The Oilers’ ticket-selling site is “now offering 40-game packages (beginning with the Oct. 15 home game) with prices ranging from $3,850 per seat to almost $15,200 a seat” (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 9/23).
