A season or two ago, you could grab an upper bowl ticket to a midweek Vancouver Canucks game against a non-desirable opponent for $40. You could get into Rogers Arena on a Saturday for under $100. And a seat to see the Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs cost a fraction of what it does today.
Supply and demand affects all NHL markets. The Canucks are the latest example of this — the team this week released their single game tickets for the 2024-25 season, with starting prices reflecting those of a Canadian cup contender. Fans wanting to go to a game should be prepared to pay up.
As reported by Noah Strang of Daily Hive Vancouver on Wednesday, Canucks ticket prices have skyrocketed from previous seasons. The cheapest ticket available from the team for 2024-25 is over $100.
The Canucks use dynamic pricing, meaning that their ticket prices fluctuate based on how popular a game is. Opponents like the Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers are naturally more expensive, as are Saturday games.
We analyzed Canucks ticket prices for the upcoming season to determine the most expensive and the cheapest games, what contributes to the difference in pricing and which games have the best ticket bargains.
The analysis is based on Ticketmaster availability as of the afternoon of July 25, 2024. The prices are for standard seats, and do not include resale tickets. We split Rogers Arena into seven price tiers available for purchase — upper bowl goal, upper bowl center, lower bowl goal, lower bowl center, club, Sportsbar and Club 500 — and picked the cheapest seat available in each section. Alcohol free sections were omitted.
What determines the cost of a game?
Over the season, ticket prices spike for a few games. The home opener against the Calgary Flames, both games against the Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks, the Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins are the most expensive games.
The most expensive ticket costs $998, and is located in Club 500 for the Oilers and Maple Leafs games. This ticket comes with free food and is similar to a suite experience.
The most expensive game is the Feb. 8, 2024 contest against Toronto, with an average ticket price of $571.43. The two Oilers games are tied for second- and third-most expensive, with an average price of $570.29 per ticket.
The most expensive games reflect the most popular games of the season. The Maple Leafs' annual 4 p.m. start and the home opener are always big draws, and the renewed Vancouver vs. Edmonton rivalry is a hot ticket.
Last season, fans who shelled out hundreds of dollars for the Jan. 22 game against the Blackhawks were let down, as Connor Bedard missed the game with a broken jaw. The local-born superstar is tentatively set to play his first game in Vancouver on Nov. 16, a Saturday night. This game carries an average ticket price of $450 and is the sixth-most expensive game of the season.
Fans hunting for a bargain should stick to weeknight games against unpopular teams. Seven games are tied for the cheapest of the season, with an average ticket price of $201.86 each. All but one are on weeknights. These games are against the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks. The cheapest seat to one of these games is $109.
Season ticket holders pay less
The best bargain for tickets this season belongs to full season ticket holders, who pay substantially less per game than single game purchasers.
For popular games, the gap becomes more significant. A Club 500 season ticket holder pays, on average, $317.44 per ticket. The average price of a single game ticket in Club 500 this season is $533.72, fluctuating based on demand. The $998 single ticket for the Maple Leafs and Oilers games is over three times the cost of a season seat.
The cheapest season ticket is in the upper bowl behind the Canucks' goal. A seat here costs a ticket holder $61.05 per game in 2024-25 — a phenomenal bargain compared to the $277 single game price for the Maple Leafs and Oilers games, and over $40 cheaper than the cheapest single game ticket to a weeknight game.
The effect of having a good team is felt around the fan base. Ticket prices soar, merchandise flies off the shelves and the city comes together.
It's a feeling that Vancouver hasn't experienced in over a decade. The prices may be alarming, but Canucks fans have waited years for a team like this. Enjoy the ride, we've missed it.