Carolina Hurricanes Lower Ticket Prices

Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos said, "First of all we only had a very short window to put all of our plans together. We hurried them, and may have made some mistakes in some of the pricing."

Now, the cheapest lower level seats are $50, that figure will drop to $20 next season.

Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner, said that fans should not read too much into the reduction of the prices.

"[The team] is in a transition period, and their biggest goal is to get more people into the building," Bettman said.

Stu Grimsom, one of the Hurricanes' players, said, "I think that it's certainly noble and worthwhile that they are willing to accept the consequences and make an adjustment. I'm sure we'll see an improvement in those areas next year."

The Greensboro Coliseum is the largest venue in the National Hockey League, but the amount of seats will reduce with the ticket prices.

All of the upper deck seating, aside from the first few rows, will be curtained off next season to create a cozier atmosphere.

At the inaugural meeting of the Sports Council, a newly formed group to bring more sporting events to the Triangle, the team revealed another part of the plan. Season ticket holders will also earn tickets through referrals.

Ticket Manager Jim Baldwin explained that season ticket holders who convince their friend to also buy season tickets, could earn tickets for free.

The lower ticket prices will put the Hurricanes well below the league average of $40, and the prices will compete for the lowest prices with Edmonton.

Dallas holds the second lowest average ticket price, and currently has the second best record in the league.