Maple Leafs, Bruins games most expensive for fans; Panthers cheapest

For a family of four, the price of attending an NHL game rose by 4.7 percent from last season, according to the latest Team Marketing Report analysis of the League.

TMR released its new Fan Cost Index for 2014-15 on Thursday, and found that a theoretical family of four would spend $363.58 on average to attend a game.

(At this point, we make the annual acknowledgement that the Fan Cost Index is built on the most gluttonous, materialistic family in the known universe:  The FCI comprises the price of four general -- not including premium seats -- season tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular-sized hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two adult-sized caps.)

The Toronto Maple Leafs, as they do every year, lead the FCI at $572.58, which is up 1.9 percent. The Boston Bruins were second at $509.80, and Jeremy Jacobs has apparently decided to pass the lockout savings on to the fans by increasing their FCI by 14.8 percent.

They’re followed by the New York Rangers ($479.48), Chicago Blackhawks ($463.20), Vancouver Canucks ($456.35), Montreal Canadiens ($413.04) and Winnipeg Jets ($411.94).

At the bottom of the list are the Florida Panthers at $255.55 in the FCI, just below the Dallas Stars ($263.11). The Panthers ticket prices dropped by 18.3 percent. The Bruins, as mentioned earlier, had the steepest climb in ticket prices on average, by 20 percent.

Here are the average ticket prices and the FCI for all 30 NHL teams, via Team Marketing Report:

As for the other important stuff: “The average beer price is up to $7.45 for a 16-ounce beer. The Rangers reported the most expensive “cheapest” beer at $10.50 for 24-ounce pour.”

Keep in mind that the Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche apparently did not respond to TMR’s information request, so they used “past information provided by teams and public information” were used in ticket price averages.

You can read the full TMR report here. Puck Daddy’s annual Beer Cost Index will follow soon…