Lining up for the hottest tickets in the ity

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

The line snaked its way around the GM Centre, starting from the front door and weaving down around the side of the building.

Fans eagerly anticipated their chance to step to a booth at the box office and get their hands on tickets to watch any of the games between the Oshawa Generals and the Erie Otters.

Tickets for Game 1 on May 8 were gone in approximately 35 minutes. Soon after, the tickets for Game 2 were gone too.

The hype around the OHL final was obvious: the best defensive team in the league in Oshawa was about to clash with one of the best offensive clubs, not to mention the arrival of hockey prodigy Connor McDavid, the likely first-overall draft pick for the Edmonton Oilers and OHL playoff point leader.

Tickets for Game 1 and 2, once sold out, quickly appeared for sale online, with single tickets going for as much as $200.

Generals head coach DJ Smith thought it was pretty obvious why tickets were flying out of the box office.

“You have the best player in junior hockey in the world coming into your market, as well as there is not a lot of hockey left to watch around here,” he said.

Also a factor, Oshawa fans missed McDavid in Erie’s only appearance in Oshawa during the regular season due to injury.

More than 6,000 fans got their chance during Game 1 and 2 on May 8 and 9, which saw Oshawa dominate play, winning the games 4-1 and 5-1 respectively.

Oshawa was unable to make it three straight wins, falling to the Otters 4-3 in Erie.

May 13 will see the teams face off in Game 4 of the series in Erie.

Tickets for Games 5 and 7 in Oshawa are still available for purchase by credit card only from the GM Centre box office.