Panthers no longer offering free tickets, anticipate attendance decrease

The Florida Panthers are inviting a decrease in fan attendance next season out of respect for a small group of devoted fans.

A new business strategy will see the Panthers no longer offer free seats or discounted rates to fill the BB&T Center seats.

"We are 100 percent ready for the reality that we'll have smaller attendance this season," co-owner Doug Cifu said via the Miami Herald.

"We want people who are there to be paying a fair price, the same price, and enjoying a great product on the ice. We can get 15,000 in there if we gave away 5,000 seats. We don't want to do that. It's not fair.''

The vision is honorable, sure, but the Panthers, who are already losing "tremendous amounts" of money on an annual basis, are throwing away the opportunity to cash in on their other revenue streams.