Following years of ticket price reductions in the NHL, it looks like some teams are trusting in the slow-turnaround economy and raising prices for next season.
Just weeks after this season’s NHL playoff tickets had a disappointing start in sales, twelve of the thirty NHL teams are planning price hikes for the 2010-11 season. Price increases across the League range from one percent to twenty percent of current ticket costs.
Some well-performing teams from the 2009-2010 season, like the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, are on that list, according to Sports Business Journal. The Pittsburgh Penguins also plan to raise their rates, likely to help subsidize costs of the new Consol Energy Center, where they will begin playing in the 2010-2011 season. Other teams, such as the St. Louis Blues, are hiking prices to cover player costs related to the increase in the League’s salary cap.
Four NHL teams, the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, will lower ticket prices this year. The continued sluggish economy seems to have been a major factor in the decision for these teams, with decreased corporate accounts and a commitment to provide more economical seating levels for fans among the reasons for these lowered prices.