The Madison Square Garden Company thought it had timed its announcement last week of ticket price increases for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers just right. If you're going to tell fans about price hikes for next season, at least it comes as the Rangers have the best record in the NHL's Eastern Conference and the Knicks are surging behind the sudden popularity of Jeremy Lin.

So much for timing.

With "Linsanity" in high gear, Madison Square Garden (MSG) easily retained its No. 1 position in TicketNews' exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, February 26.

MSG is home to the New York Knicks and has seen rising star Jeremy Lin lead the team to a 9-3 record since being forced into the line-up earlier this month following injuries to players ahead of him on the depth chart. The Knicks resume their season on February 29, when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to MSG.

A $556 ticket to see the New Orleans Hornets? $498 to see the New Jersey Nets?

Perhaps that's the truest definition of "Linsanity."

The meteoric rise of the New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has made him a household name and sent Knicks ticket prices soaring, no matter who the team is playing.

TicketNews has released its exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, April 10, and this week Madison Square Garden (MSG) once again took number one after four weeks out of the top position. MSG's popular sports teams, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, are playing well this season, both having clinched playoff berths in their divisions.

The New York Knicks will raise prices on season tickets for next year by an average of 49 percent — and as much as 100 percent for some premium tickets — an astronomical increase that is slightly mitigated by the fact the team has not raised prices in six years.

In addition to the Knicks, New York Rangers tickets also will see an extensive bump in price, by about 23 percent.