As sports fans are well aware, success comes at a steep price, and once again Chicago Blackhawks fans will be left feeling a pain in their wallets as season ticket prices will once again increase.
The increase, which will come out to an average of four percent across the price spectrum, is the smallest that the team has executed since the 2009-10 season, according to Danny Ecker of Crain’s Chicago Business.
Of course, the reason for the price increase is simple: the Blackhawks continue to have one of the most successful teams on the ice, and the team also has one of the league’s highest payrolls. With three Stanley Cups in seven seasons and new contract extensions for guys like Artem Anisimov, Brent Seabrook, and Artemi Panarin all taking effect, the Blackhawks will be looking to generate some more revenue, and raising ticket prices is one way of doing that.
According to TicketIQ, the cost of Blackhawks tickets has gone up 6.32 percent over the last three years, and the Blackhawks have the third-most expensive average tickets in the NHL this season, with only the Toronto Maple Leafs ($377.71 per ticket) and the New York Rangers ($317.75) ahead of the $297.27 ticket price to get into the United Center.
All that coin fans are shelling out to get into games is certainly benefitting the team, as they are currently the fourth-most valuable franchise in the NHL, with an estimated value of $925 million according to Forbes Magazine.
The team’s ticket prices certainly aren’t deterring fans from packing the United Center either. The Blackhawks have sold out over 400 games in a row, and the team is averaging 21,725 fans per game at the United Center, the highest such total in the NHL this season according to ESPN.