The most expensive arenas to watch an NHL game (2025-26)

Rising costs haven’t stopped fans from showing up in record numbers to watch NHL games. For the 2024-2025 regular season, total attendance surpassed 23 million. There’s no doubt that there’s a strong appetite for stadium experiences.

So we’ve rounded up the most expensive and cheapest arenas to watch your favourite teams duel on ice for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season. But it’s not all that immediately meets the eye. Read on to get some surprising insights about which arenas can be the most cost-effective.

Most and least expensive NHL tickets

The top three most expensive tickets are for teams that belong to the “Original Six” teams in the NHL franchise. These are teams with long histories and loyal fanbases. The top three least expensive tickets tend to be for teams in cities with lower costs of living or less robust fanbases.

Top three most expensive NHL tickets by team

1. New York Rangers (Madison Square Garden): A Rangers game will set you back $100.65 USD ($142.00 CAD) for one ticket. As one of the Original Six teams from the early days of the NHL and with a higher-income fan base, the Rangers are able to command premium prices. Add in being based in New York, and this is why the Rangers take the top spot for most expensive tickets. On the bright side, Madison Square Gardens has the cheapest hot dogs at any NHL game in the US ($5.36 USD or $7.56 CAD). And if you’re taking public transport, you’ll save on the third most expensive stadium parking in the US ($32.95 USD or $46.49 CAD). I mean, thirty-three bucks is worth braving the midtown subway, right?
2. Boston Bruins (TD Garden): Another Original Six team sits in second place for most expensive tickets, with one ticket costing $91.00 USD or $128.50 CAD. The high costs of tickets correlate with the Bruins’ large and loyal fanbase. According to a January 2024 survey, the Bruins came in as the one of the top favourite teams amongst NHL fans in the US.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (Scotiabank Arena): As a homegrown supporter of the Leafs, it pains me to pronounce them the most expensive Canadian team to watch on home turf. That will be $90.48 USD or $127.67 CAD, please. Hey, quality costs. At least the hot dogs are relatively cheap ($5.92 USD or $8.35 CAD).

Noteworthy mention

Montréal Canadiens (Bell Centre): With the loonie performing its poorest in years, it’s a bit surprising that the fourth most expensive NHL ticket is for another Canadian team: $84.41 USD or $119.19 CAD. But hockey is an unofficial national sport, and we’re willing to pay dearly for it. The Montréal Canadiens had the highest average attendance for regular home games in 2024/2025, despite the high costs. We salute you, Canadiens fans.

Top three cheapest NHL tickets by team

1. San Jose Sharks (SAP Center at San Jose): The cheapest ticket by far can be bought for the Sharks at $24.00 USD ($33.85 CAD). Watch out for the parking though, which is the fourth-most expensive at any US or Canada stadium at $29.94 USD ($42.23 CAD).
2. New Jersey Devils (Prudential Center): The second-cheapest NHL ticket you can buy costs $30.75 USD ($43.37 CAD). For comparison, for the price of one Boston Bruins ticket, the second-most expensive on the list, you can get three seats at a New Jersey Devils game.
3. Ottawa Senators (Canadian Tire Centre): At $33 USD ($46.52 CAD), the third cheapest NHL ticket (and cheapest in Canada) can be bought for the Ottawa Senators. Go crazy on food and non-alcoholic drinks too: the hot dogs ($5.12 USD or $7.22 CAD) and soft drinks ($4.73 USD or $6.67 CAD) are the cheapest and second-cheapest respectively at any Canadian or US stadium.

Noteworthy mention

Florida Panthers (Amerant Bank Arena): The fourth cheapest NHL tickets are for the Panthers at $35.00 USD or $49.40 CAD. That’s where the cost-savings end though. Parking will cost you $34.45 USD ($48.63 CAD), the second-highest of any arena. Beer, soft drinks, and hot dogs aren’t cheap either, falling in the top three most expensive food and beverage costs across all NHL arenas.

Best value NHL games

Ticket prices don’t tell the whole story. Concession purchases and parking can quickly add up. When we factor in these costs, the Calgary Flames pop into the top spot for the cheapest NHL team to watch live. Partly because Scotiabank Saddledome has the cheapest parking spots across all stadiums at $5.56 USD or $7.85 CAD. What.

The Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, and New Jersey Devils are the three least expensive NHL games you can attend if you’re driving to the game and having one beer and one hot dog. (If you’re having a soft drink instead, the rankings are the same and prices don’t change significantly.)

Total cost for 1 ticket, 1 hot dog, 1 beer, and parking

Cheapest NHL arenas if you’re not driving

Expect to pay anywhere between 25-100% of the lowest ticket price to park at an NHL arena. But if you opt to take a bus or carpool with a friend, the cheapest NHL experiences look more similar to the teams with the top three cheapest tickets. The Ottawa Senators shift up to second place for cheapest NHL team to watch live if you’re not driving, due to cheaper beer and hot dogs.

Total cost for 1 ticket, 1 hot dog, 1 beer

Best bang for your puck

If you love the excitement of being at a game but hate being forced to pay for overpriced food, drink and parking, here are some arenas you might want to explore.

• Least expensive beers and soft drinks: Canada Life Centre (Winnipeg Jets). A cold one only costs $6.30 USD ($8.89 CAD) while a soft drink costs $3.15 USD ($4.45 CAD). Guess they have to keep the prices low to fill seats. The Jets had some of the lowest average attendance of all NHL teams across regular season home games in 2024/2025.
• Least expensive beer in the US: PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh Penguins). Here a beer costs $7.51 USD ($10.60 CAD).
• Least expensive hot dogs: Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary Flames) tied with Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa Senators). In both venues a hot dog only costs $5.12 USD ($7.23 CAD).
• Least expensive hot dog in the US: Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers). At $5.36 USD ($7.56 CAD), the low price of a hot dog is a small consolation for everything else being so expensive at MSG. 
• Least expensive parking: Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary Flames). There must be a lot of space in Calgary because it only costs $5.56 USD or $7.85 CAD to park.

Most expensive NHL games

When it comes to the most expensive NHL games overall (including the cost of food and beverages), the top three changes slightly depending on whether you’re driving.

When including parking costs, the New York Islanders knock the Leafs out of third place due to the high cost of parking at UBS Arena. That places two of the top three most expensive NHL games in New York.

But if you’re not driving, it becomes significantly cheaper to attend an Islanders game and the Maple Leafs take third place for most expensive NHL experiences.

Total cost for 1 ticket, 1 hot dog, 1 beer, parking

Total cost for 1 ticket, 1 hot dog, 1 beer

Here are some of the arenas where you can expect to spend more cash.

• Most expensive soft drinks and hot dogs ($8.57 USD or $12.10 CAD for each) : Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. But they also have one of the cheapest beers for a US stadium ($9.66 USD or $13.64 CAD). You win some, you lose some.
• Most expensive beer ($16.10 USD or $22.73 CAD): Madison Square Garden. Combine that with the third most expensive parking costs and it’s a no-brainer: take the subway. At least you can enjoy an overpriced beer without worrying about exceeding blood alcohol limits.
• Most expensive parking ($40.12 USD or $56.64 CAD): UBS Arena in New York. My advice? The LIRR from Penn Station will get you there in 35 minutes, and you’ve got enough left over for a beer and a hot dog. Plus, it’s legal to drink on the LIRR so you can fan those pre-game vibes.

The price divide: most and least expensive hockey games

To give you an idea of the price disparity between the most and least expensive NHL arenas, here’s a comparison of what it costs to attend different games within the same province or state.

Clash of the capitals

Ottawa might be the capital of Canada, but Ontario’s other capital has always taken first place when it comes to living costs. That includes the cost of an NHL game plus concessions and parking. One game in Toronto ($120.60 USD or $170.18 CAD) is nearly twice as much as an Ottawa Senators game ($72.39 USD or $102.15 CAD).

Battle of the Hudson River

The New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils have historically had a fierce rivalry with each other. The two teams have been referred to as “mirror teams” due to their similarities. Only the Hudson River and a 30 minute drive between Madison Square Garden and Prudential Center separate the rivals. 

So if you’re not sure who to support, you’d save yourself a lot of money if you attend a home game for the New Jersey Devils rather than the New York Rangers. Precisely $84.72 USD ($119.55 CAD), taking into account parking and concessions. That’s enough left over to watch a second Devils game, get a beer and still have change left over.

Geographical proximity can drive ice hockey rivalries, so it’s no coincidence that the teams compared here are well-known NHL rivals. But if you’re steadfastly loyal to a more expensive team, you can always follow the game from home with a hockey sportsbook with good odds.

Methodology

Data for ticket prices was compiled by reviewing listings for each team’s home games for the 2025-2026 season. I ranked the most to least expensive ticket prices according to the cheapest ticket an individual could buy on Ticketmaster or via other official ticket sellers. Resale tickets and standing-only tickets were excluded. 

Costs for food, beverages, and parking were taken from the Team Marketing Report’s NHL Fan Cost Index for 2023-24. These were then adjusted to 2025-26 levels according to inflation rates sourced from Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

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