“What a day, eh?” said Alex Ovechkin on Sunday, after he surpassed the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, as the all-time highest NHL goal-scorer. The much-awaited point came during the second period of the Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders, and the UBS Arena erupted with applause. At that moment, one would need to struggle to separate the home and traveling fans apart, and it looks like the Islanders are looking to capitalize, literally, on the occasion.

With 78 points to their name, the New York Islanders currently sit in the fifth spot of the Metropolitan Division. While their playoff dreams look to be over for this season, the NHL powerhouse from the Big Apple is looking to at least make some profit off of Ovechkin’s historic night. Needless to say, fans aren’t entirely amused.

Front Office Sports took to X on April 7 to share details of how the New York Islanders are charging an arm and a foot to print physical tickets for last week’s game against the Capitals. For a hefty price of $45, “The Islanders are offering to print physical tickets for fans who attended Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking game at their arena in New York,” the social media update noted, and the astonishment could hardly be overlooked.

Most of the tickets for the Islanders’ last game were issued digitally. Given how the match offered fans a chance to witness history firsthand, it was understandable that many wanted their hands on one of those tickets, for which some even paid hundreds. Naturally, some fans also wanted to frame those tickets in order to preserve a piece of NHL lore. However, the high price set by the New York Islanders to do so caught them off guard.

“omg what a bunch of crooks,” one fan could hardly believe their eyes. After having to pay a premium price for the tickets, the extra dough that the fans were asked to cough up to print their digital tickets evidently irked them. On the other hand, considering how such iconic sports moments memorabilia often go for incredibly high prices as collectors’ items, it’s also understandable why the New York Islanders are looking at the opportunity to add some more coins to its treasury. However, the NHL community didn’t seem to be completely on board with their plans.

Fans cast a frown at the New York Islanders

The Capitals have also been working tirelessly to collect Ovechkin’s gear from recent matches as part of the Gr8 Chase storyline. Washington insider Tarik El-Bashir recently revealed how a group of Capitals employees have been labeling and storing each thing carefully as homage to Alex’s towering legacy. But the Islanders looking to charge fans didn’t sit well with the community. “Worst organization in sports,” grumbled another fan, who seemed fed-up with the constant need to pay money.

In 2022, Ovechkin surpassed Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe to become the second-highest scoring NHL star. The Capitals also offered to print the tickets from that game against the Senators for the fans. But here’s the difference: they did it for free. With that in mind, community members are all the more annoyed at the New York Islanders’ decision to charge fans for the same. “C’mon @NYIslanders, do better,” grunted a fan. 

“This is kind of s—, I understand getting away from physical tickets to save money, but seeing how expensive these tickets were and you want to charge people another $45 for physical tickets so they can have a piece of history?” slammed another fan, also urging the New York Islanders to do better. “$8. That’s the only answer,” another offered a more realistic solution to the problem. What about you? Do you think such an amount is justified? Or do you also think it’s a daylight robbery? Tell us your thoughts in a comment!