Panthers Named Most Affordable Game
NHL games can be quite difficult to attend financially, but that's not necessarily the case for every team. Case in point: the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers provide one of the most affordable gameday experiences in the league.
Earlier on Friday, Action Network released a ranking of every NHL arena by how much it costs for a family of four to attend. The total cost was calculated by adding up the price of four general admission tickets (accounting for child admission policy), two beers, two soft drinks, four hot dogs and parking. All of the prices were found via Team Marketing Report's 2023-24 NHL Fan Cost Index.
Under that metric, Florida's Amerant Bank Arena was found to have the lowest total cost among current NHL venues at $298.91, over 30 percent lower than the average venue.
"The Amerant Bank Arena offers a family-friendly atmosphere at an affordable price," Action Network's Ben Mendelowitz writes. "With a total cost of $298.91, it comes in as $133.11 below the average cost in the NHL. The Amerant Bank Arena is also one of the only two stadiums that comes in below a total cost of $300, and is the only team to offer four tickets below $200.
"Despite having cheap tickets, the Panthers charge a pretty penny for food and drinks — charging the same as the Vegas Golden Knights for concessions, $72!"
The "current" NHL arenas qualifier is important to note here. Mullett Arena, former home of the Arizona Coyotes, was found to have a lower total cost of $285.36, but it's not a current venue anymore after the team "relocated" and became the Utah Hockey Club. Details for the team's new venue, Delta Center in Salt Lake City, were not used in this study.
Back to Florida, Amerant Bank Arena gets the leg up on the competition by offering the lowest price for four tickets in the league at $194.56. On the other hand, the concessions at the venue actually ended up being some of the most expensive in the league. The cost for four hot dogs ($32) is tied for the highest in the league, while the cost of parking ($32.35) is the second-most expensive behind the New York Islanders' UBS Arena ($37.67).
Rounding out the top five most affordable arenas are the Ottawa Senators' Canadian Tire Center ($306.88 total cost), the Buffalo Sabres' KeyBank Center ($308.58) and the Columbus Blue Jackets' Nationwide Arena ($326.82).