Angry Anglo: The Bell Centre Rips You Off And You Know It
Montreal loves the Habs. As a Montrealer, it’s part of your blood. And the Bell Centre is a hockey mecca; a heaven for hockey fans. The only problem is that the Bell Centre drains you of everything you’ve got if you try to go see a game.
I took a look at the prices for Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre. The cheapest tickets you can buy are $73 in the Family Zone. That’s the nosebleed section. The next cheapest seats are $132. That’s pretty goddamn ridiculous.
But okay, it’s the Penguins. I guess I’ll let it slide for the chance to see Sid the Kid. Once you get to the Habs game though, you want to drink a beer or two or three and get rowdy with your bros. BUT a Molson Canadian tallboy beer will cost you about $11. That’s almost as much as buying a six-pack of beer for a predrink. How can you possibly justify that to us, Bell Centre? Does it have something to do with the fact that Geoff Molson, a family member of the famous Molson brewery is owner, president and CEO of the Habs, Bell Centre, and Evenko…? I’m sure there’s no connection whatsoever.
That’s roughly $11 to drink a beer at a game where the team is currently sitting at fifth place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-9. A team that last won the Stanley Cup at the end of the 1992-1993 season.
What’s sad is that if you take a look at the Yahoo! NHL Puck Daddy’s Beer Cost Index for 2013-2014, prices at the Bell Centre are middle of the pack. According to their calculations, Habs’ fans are charged $0.45 per oz. New York Rangers fans are charged the most at $0.72 per oz. St. Louis Blues fans and Buffalo Sabres fans are lucky; they benefit from the cheapest beers in the league, only paying $0.35 per oz.
**Keep in mind: all of these numbers are in USD per fluid ounce for easy comparison. I understand we in Canada use the metric system, but the amounts were listed in the stupid American system. Deal with it.
This doesn’t makes it any better. You’re comparing stadiums that all rip their consumers off. Compare it to any bar in the area and it’s a joke. At Station des Sports you can buy a pitcher for $12!