The Estevan Bruins have resumed their season tickets sales for the 2020-21 season, and have also embarked on a 50-50 fundraiser.
The club had to close its office in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but when July arrived, they could open the office again and start selling season tickets.
The club was at the Tower Café on July 3 and Blackbeard's Restaurant on July 10 to sell ticket packages.
Super fan pricing is in effect, and will continue until July 17.
“We usually do this in playoffs and at the end of the season to try to get season tickets for the next season already going, but obviously we had to wait a little bit,” said Danny Ewen, the club’s director of marketing and operations.
There will be a 33 per cent discount for the regular price for season tickets and punch cards, and there will also be a break for corporate packages.
The Bruins have already sold more than 100 season tickets, between those sold this month and packages sold during the playoffs.
The Bruins have also decided to partner with the Eclipse Downhole Solutions Estevan U18 AAA Bears hockey team, whose inaugural season starts this fall.
“We’re trying to position it where people can buy their tickets for both the Bruins and the Bears in a one-time purchase and support both clubs with a season ticket,” said Ewen.
The number of season tickets sold is lower than where they would normally be in early July, he said, but it’s still a pretty good number considering they lost 3 1/2 months of sales.
“We’re expecting a lot more in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully right up until the season starts,” said Ewen.
Last year the club had between 650 and 700 season tickets. He hopes the Bruins can come close to that number this year.
The schedule for the 2020-21 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season has yet to be released, and it’s not a guarantee they will play a full season this year.
“We just want to make it worry-free for anyone buying a ticket, that they are going to get their value of what they paid for,” said Ewen. “If for some reason there isn’t a full schedule – if we’re only able to play 20 home games instead of 28 home games – then depending on what you paid for your season ticket, what time you buy into the price per ticket, then you’ll get a credit towards playoff or future regular season tickets.”
The club is also still working on how it will handle where people can sit to accommodate social distancing. There aren’t any specific restrictions in place at this time, but there may be adjustments necessary when the league releases its Return to Play protocol. He hopes that people will be understanding if they have to move down a row or over a few seats.
The club is also in the midst of its Mega 50-50 draw.
“The 50-50s and hockey games seem to go hand in hand, especially in Estevan, so we figured this was a pretty straight-forward one, and that people could do it from the comfort of their own home, which was another thing that we wanted to be able to accommodate,” said Ewen.
It launched on July 1 and will continue until Sept. 1.
This will be an online-only draw, and there won’t be any physical tickets available for sale at the office or elsewhere.
Ewen said it’s a very simple process, and people will be able to complete the purchase in less than five minutes.
“We were hoping to get a fundraiser going because like everybody else, as a non-profit, the funds are starting to get depleted, and we’re trying to make some money so that we can get up and running when the season starts in September.”
The club can sell a maximum of $50,000 in tickets, which means the winner could take home up to $25,000.
