Jayne Kaman-Oncea – USA TODAY SPORTS
With the 2013 NHL Playoffs right around the corner, our good friends from Vivid Seats were kind enough to give us some very interesting information about NHL ticket prices during the regular season, and what we found was surprising in some sense, but completely predictable in another.
Canadian market teams as a whole had greater average ticket prices per game — apart from the Calgary Flames — with the average ticket price to see one of the teams from our neighbor to the north costing an average of $198.85 per person per outing. Only three of the Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs in this strike-shortened season — the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. It can easily be argued, given this, that the “bang for the buck” Canadian fans received this season certainly wasn’t what they are accustomed to, and in fact, was the worst in professional hockey.
In fact, fans in the American Northeast got a better overall value this season, with the eight teams in this region having an average ticket price of $151.14 per person per outing and four teams — the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals – qualifying for the playoffs.
Fans in the Midwest U.S. essentially paid for what they received, as the average ticket price in that market was $123.25, with only the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues moving on to playoff action. Zero — yes, zero — teams from the American South and West made the playoffs this season and with an average price per person per game of $68.38, they basically got what they paid for, which wasn’t much.
The biggest winners overall, however, were hockey fans in the Golden State. All three California-based teams — the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings – qualified for the playoffs, and their fans paid an average of $92.67 per ticket to watch them play some quality hockey. If you’re looking for the best balance of supply, demand, and a quality product, this is it!
As the NHL Playoffs near, make sure to pay our friends at Vivid Seats a visit for all your ticket needs!
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Kris Hughes is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google and Facebook
