Folks, there are few things as fun as going to a National Hockey League game, especially if you’re fortunate enough to get a group of friends or family together for a trip to a game.
But going to big league games isn’t cheap, and our colleagues over at the Action Network have dug into data from around the league looking for the most – and least – expensive places for a family of four to watch an NHL game. The Scotiabank Saddledome, home of the Calgary Flames, landed on the affordable side of the ledger, though it’s not the most affordable barn in the NHL.
Here’s how they put together their pricing data:
All prices were scraped from Team Marketing Report’s 2023-24 NHL Fan Cost Index. We added up the cost of four general tickets, two beers, two soft drinks, four hot dogs and parking. We looked on the website of each stadium to source the child admission policy.
Action Network’s analysis revealed that the most affordable rink in the league… is a place you can’t see NHL games in anymore: Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona, the former home of the Arizona Coyotes. Their calculations say that a family of four would have needed to shell out $285.36 USD to watch a Coyotes home game.
If you say that Mullett Arena shouldn’t count anymore (since the Coyotes moved to Utah), the most affordable remaining arena is where you can watch the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Their calculations say that a family of four visiting Amerant Bank Arena would need $298.91 USD.
The Saddledome isn’t far off from the most affordable arena, though, with the price landing at $337.82 USD, making it the eighth-most affordable spot in the league. (Seventh-most affordable if you exclude Arizona.) A family of four spends $52.46 USD more at the ‘Dome than they would at Mullett Arena, and $38.91 more than they would at Amerant Bank Arena.
The most expensive arena for families probably shouldn’t come as a surprise: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. It’ll cost a family of four $703.88 USD for a foursome to enjoy a Maple Leafs home game together. That’s more than double what it would cost in Calgary.
Including Arizona, the league-average cost for a family of four was $432.02. A Flames home game would cost $94.20 below the league average, or about 21.81%. A trip to a Flames game isn’t cheap, but relative to the rest of the league, it’s fairly affordable.
How do you feel about the price of going to a Flames game? What are your impressions of general affordability compared to the rest of the league? Let us know in the comments!
