Richard Abt was a Philadelphia Flyers season-ticket holder during the 2011-12 season, paying $16,730.00 for four tickets over 44 home dates ? 41 in the regular season and three preseason games.
In early September 2011, he received a ticket book from the team containing his seats for the season, save for one: The Flyers' home game against the New York Rangers on Jan. 2, 2012. In its place was a mock ticket for the NHL Winter Classic, with the following note:
"The Flyers will host the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic! You will notice that only 43 games are included in your ticket and parking books. Winter Classic Tickets are not part of your 2011-12 season ticket package."
The Flyers required that season-ticket holders purchase both the Winter Classic alumni game and an AHL outdoor game involving the Adirondack Phantoms along with tickets to the main event ? with a processing fee on top of all of it.
Abt's regular-season seats cost $95 each. Each "seat" for the Winter Classic ended up costing $394.
He felt this violated his season-ticket agreement with the Flyers at the start of the season; that the team sold him a ticket, pulled the ticket back and then "resold" it to him at a dramatic markup.