Vivid Seats National Hockey League Ticket Pricing Preview Reveals Some Surprises for the 2017-2018 Season

CHICAGO, Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivid Seats, the largest independent ticket marketplace, today released its National Hockey League (NHL) Ticket Pricing Preview including a median price breakdown for all 31 teams, as well as a look at ticket prices for the Vegas Golden Knights, the League's newest team. Among the insights – being the reigning 2016-2017 Stanley Cup champion is no guarantee of ticket popularity during the new NHL season. While the Stanley Cup finalist Nashville Predators has the fourth-highest median ticket price of $198, the two-time consecutive Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins have a median ticket price of only $124, a full $74 or 37 percent less than the team it vanquished during last year's finals.

"Performance during the last season is less important for ticket popularity than might be expected," said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor for Vivid Seats. "When the puck drops for the first time in this year's regular NHL season, fan optimism regarding the upcoming year appears to play a bigger role in ticket prices than last year's win-loss record."

TOP 10 NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE TEAMS BY MEDIAN TICKET PRICE¹

Only one of four teams to play in the 2016-2017 Conference Finals – the Nashville Predators – is represented in the top 10 most popular teams based on median ticket price. Additional information includes:

Highlights:

• Tickets to see Canadian teams are in high-demand this season, representing 40 percent of the top 10 teams. To see hockey phenom Auston Matthews take the ice for the ever-popular Toronto Maple Leafs, fans will pay a median price of $275 for tickets, the highest in the league.
• Enthusiasm for the new Little Caesars Arena is driving demand for tickets to see the perennial favorite Detroit Red Wings, earning the team the number-eight position in the top 10 teams with a median price of $170.

FIRST ROUND STANLEY CUP QUALIFIERS PROVIDE A RANGE OF MEDIAN TICKET PRICES¹

The 16 teams that qualified for last year's first round Stanley Cup playoff games represent a range of median ticket prices, from the highest (Toronto Maple Leafs at $275) to among the lowest (St. Louis Blues at $78). Following are additional details.

Highlights:

• Only 35 percent of second round playoff teams are represented in the top 10 most popular teams (New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers). The majority – five of eight teams – missed the top-10 cutoff, coming in at numbers 15 (Pittsburgh Penguins), 19 (Ottawa Senators), 22 (Washington Capitals), 26 (Anaheim Ducks) and 29 (St. Louis Blues).
• Of the 2016-2017 division champions, the Metropolitan division Washington Capitals and Pacific division Anaheim Ducks have surprisingly affordable median ticket prices of $92 and $84, respectively.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS RECEIVE A WARM INAUGURAL YEAR RECEPTION² 

Interest is robust in the League's newest team and the first major league professional sports team in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights. The median ticket price for its inaugural season overall is $136; the median price for the team's first regular season home game is $270. The top 10 most popular home games include:

Highlights:

• The team's first three regular season home games – on October 10, 13 and 15 – are among the top 10 most popular Golden Knights games during the 2017-2018 season.
• The December 14 matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins has the second highest median ticket price ($260) of all Golden Knights' home games and the highest minimum price ($150) of all home games.
• Twenty percent of the team's top 10 most popular home games are against the Chicago Blackhawks, while 30 percent of the top 10 feature Canadian teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens.

To find tickets to see your favorite NHL teams play this season, visit: www.vividseats.com/nhl-hockey/  

¹Based on median list ticket price as of 9/12/17.
²Based on median list ticket price as of 9/12/17.

Contact: Jeanenne Tornatore, [email protected], 312-291-9966, Ext. 177

SOURCE Vivid Seats