Rangers News: Ticket prices going up

Get ready to shell out more money to see the Rangers at the Garden next season.

According to Steve Zipay at Newsday, Rangers season ticket prices are going up, with many seats seeing a 7 to 9 percent increase in price.

Also, Rangers GM Glen Sather released a letter to season ticket subscribers, here are some of the highlights:

Five years ago, we made it our priority to build the New York Rangers team for long-term success by developing a core foundation of young players and adding key veterans as our youngsters matured. Our philosophy remains steadfast, and this past season, six young players whose NHL careers began here in New York played major roles in taking us to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Under the direction of our new Head Coach, John Tortorella, you will see a retooled Rangers team in 2009-10 that will feature a system that emphasizes aggressive forechecking and puck possession. This up-tempo approach has made John an accomplished winner in the NHL, earning a Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year and delivering a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay in 2004.

With an All-Star goaltender, and a mix of accomplished veterans and hungry youngsters, we expect to make our fans especially proud this season. Your loyalty and enthusiasm has always made The Garden a very intimidating place for visiting teams, and you will see a team whose style of play makes it even tougher.

James Mirtle over at From the Rink also has a look at how the ticket prices have the Blueshirt Faithful riled up.

So what do you guys think? Will this stop any season ticket holders from renewing their subscription? Are the Rangers justified in raising prices?

UPDATE: 6-2 8:30AM: This is from Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants:

I'm told the June 22 date is fairly typical, the renewal date is usually in that time frame. I don't have the exact percentages but the price increases are supposedly less this year than last. The Rangers have increased their ticket prices each season since the lockout, after making the playoff each year. The last time the Rangers did not increase ticket prices was after they missed the postseason in 2004. They actually cut tickets 10 percent, which went into effect when they came back from the lockout for the 2005-06 season.