It’s safe to say things didn’t go as planned for the HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Thursday, as they got steamrolled 8-1 by Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Former NHLers Joshua Leivo and Sasha Chmelevski combined for five points in Ufa’s dominant victory.
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The loss was nothing new for Sochi, as it was their 29th of the season in just 40 games. As an apology, they offered some comedic relief in the form of a ticket discount for their fans. Here’s the rough translation from their Instagram post:
“Dear fans, we would like to find an excuse for yesterday’s defeat, but there just isn’t one. Yes, losing is bad, but 1 to 8…there’s just no excuse. That was horrifying. We all have a soul ache. All tickets for the match against Severstal on Sunday, Jan. 26th will receive an 18% discount using our promo code (…) Thank you for being with us! Let’s put the loss in the past.”
Can NHL Take a Page Out of This Playbook?
Imagine if a struggling team like the Buffalo Sabres or San Jose Sharks lost 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs and gave 27% off tickets…or even 72% off? Aside from the social media jokes that would arise from it, it’s a fairly reasonable way to help fill seats in a struggling market. Maybe include a free popcorn or something of that nature too.
Fans appreciate authenticity and transparency, and it’s hard to argue this doesn’t accomplish that. The Hockey Writers‘ own KHL expert, Alessandro Seren Rosso, explained that this tradition isn’t super common but does happen from time to time. It’s not the first time it’s happened.
As for the fans who did take advantage of the discount, they were treated to a much more competitive hockey game, which still didn’t fall in Sochi’s favor. They lost 4-3 in overtime to Severstal Cherepovets, falling to 11-30 on the season.
Would you be in favor of your favorite team doing this? What are some pros and cons of running a promotion like this? Let us know in the comments.