Rangers fan claims he was screwed out of NHL Stadium Series tickets

Sunday’s 2024 NHL Stadium Series showdown between the Rangers and the Islanders at MetLife Stadium was one of the best hockey games of the year, but for one Blueshirt fan, being denied entry to the venue meant It was a day filled with headaches and heartache.

Newark’s Anthony dos Santos spent more than $1,500 on tickets through a Ticketmaster advance code in October and was looking forward to competing outdoors.

But when the 28-year-old showed up at the stadium, the eight tickets he bought for him and his family had already been scanned, and MetLife Stadium employees said they did little to help resolve the issue. He claims that he was And his group was not allowed to attend the game, he told The Post in a message.

“I spent an excited three-and-a-half hours before the game tailgating with more than a dozen of my closest family and friends in 30-degree weather, and when I arrived at the MetLife Stadium doors, I was scanned. The eight tickets were “already scanned an hour ago,” dos Santos wrote.

The long-time Rangers fan said he had provided stadium staff with “all evidence” that he was the one who bought the ticket and had not yet scanned it for entry.

Documents reviewed by the newspaper show that the New Jersey native purchased tickets to Sunday’s Game 103 rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders and received confirmation.

Bank statements show he was charged more than $1,500 for tickets, and a screenshot of his Ticketmaster account shows the tickets were not sold before the game. However, MetLife Stadium employees suggested that he may have done so.

All this information was presented to an employee scanning tickets outside MetLife Stadium as he desperately tried to attend a game he had been looking forward to for months, but he and his family was not allowed entry.

“They basically told me there was nothing they could do for me,” dos Santos said of the MetLife Stadium employees. “They were so rude and negative that I went to my seat and asked if they could check with the other people who claimed to have scanned it and they said no. And I went to get my refund. I said.”

Dos Santos said he contacted Ticketmaster and was told he would be contacted by the coach within 24 to 48 hours, but the experience made him so angry that he told other hockey fans. He posted on social media to give advance warning, and in the process appears to have rallied his rival’s fan base.

His Facebook post garnered more than 400 comments from fellow hockey fans, and his post about X garnered sympathy from not only Islanders but Devils fans as well.

“If MetLife Stadium had wanted to, or had had enough consideration, they could have let me play in that game, especially since my family and I both knew that the problem was with Ticketmaster, not me. ” he said.

“Due to events beyond our control, my family was humiliated and lost their memories of life.”

Dos Santos praised the Rangers and the hockey community for rallying around his story, calling it an “emotional day” to see the support he received online.

The 28-year-old said Rangers contacted him on social media after seeing his post, but that Rangers do not hold him responsible for what happened.

After hearing about dos Santos’ ordeal, the Rangers plan to have him in their next game, team officials confirmed to the Post.

Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

MetLife Stadium also did not immediately respond to The Post’s inquiries about the situation.

The Rangers rallied from a 4-1 deficit against the Islanders to tie the game with 1:29 left in regulation time, and Artemi Panarin scored the game-winning goal 10 seconds into overtime.

A huge comeback made the match a long one, but it did little to assuage Dos Santos’ disappointment.

“This should never have happened,” he said. “The team I’ve been a big fan of since I was born came from behind 5-3 in OT to come back and win 6-5, and it didn’t help that I wasn’t there. .

“I was taking Tylenol for a splitting headache at home and had to read an article about this being the ‘best outdoor game of all time.'”