Ticket Demand for Penguins – Blackhawks NHL Stadium Series at Soldier Field

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks will return to NHL action on Saturday when they compete in one of the last two 2014 NHL Stadium Series games at Soldier Field. Both squads are captained by young, Canadian centers who have starred on the NHL stage for years and just captured their second straight Olympic Gold medal with Team Canada in Sochi. Sidney Crosby, captain of the Penguins, was also “Captain Canada,” and is looking to lead the Penguins back to the Stanley Cup Final after an embarrassing loss to the Bruins last year in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jonathon Toews, on the other hand, is helping the Blackhawks defend their Stanley Cup title from last year, and they are currently tied with the St. Louis Blues for the lead in the Western Conference’s Central Division.

This will be Pittsbugh’s only trip to Chicago this season, and neither team is a stranger to the growing NHL outdoor game spectacle. This will be the Penguins’ third such game and first since they hosted one at Heinz Field in 2011. The NHL outdoor experience has grown in popularity and spawned this year’s Stadium Series in addition to the Winter and Heritage Classics, and this weekend’s game is the crown jewel according to ticket demand. At an average ticket price of $276, Saturday’s game at Soldier Field is the most in-demand of the six outdoor NHL games this season and nearly twice as expensive as the Stadium Series game between the Rangers and Islanders played at Yankee Stadium on January 29 ($141).

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Tickets

While Saturday’s game in Chicago is the hottest outdoor NHL ticket of 2014, none of this year’s games have been nearly as expensive as the 2012 Winter Classic. That game between the Flyers and Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on January 2, 2012, drew an average ticket price of $471 on the secondary market, the highest we’ve ever seen for a regular season game in any of the four major sports. Good news for fans still looking for tickets to Blackhawks-Penguins on Saturday is that prices have fallen considerably this month and will likely continue to dip throughout the week. This past weekend, the average ticket price on the resale market was $198, down 35% from an average of $306 per ticket over Super Bowl weekend.

2014 NHL Stadium Series Ticket Prices

Interestingly enough, the only NHL game in the U.S. this season that drew a higher average ticket price than Saturday’s game at Soldier Field was also played in Chicago. Fans paid an average of $277 to attend the Blackhawks’ home opener on October 1 against the Washington Capitals, which featured the raising of the 2013 Stanley Cup banner at the United Center. Maple Leafs tickets are consistently the most expensive in the NHL, and Toronto has hosted two games this season with higher average ticket prices – vs. Canadians January 18 ($346) and vs. Penguins October 26 ($300).

The Penguins at Blackhawks Stadium Series game at Soldier Field has the highest Average Ticket and Get-In prices of all 2014 NHL Outdoor Games.

Event Matchup Avg.
Price		 Get-In
Price		 City State Venue
Stadium Series Blackhawks v Penguins $276 $132 Chicago IL Soldier Field
Stadium Series Rangers v Devils $231 $100 New York NY Yankee Stadium
Stadium Series Ducks v Kings $190 $95 Los Angeles CA Dodger Stadium
Winter Classic Red Wings v Maple Leafs $172 $60 Ann Arbor MI Michigan Stadium
Heritage Classic Canucks v Senators $169 $85 Vancouver B.C. BC Place
Stadium Series Rangers v Islanders $141 $40 New York NY Yankee Stadium

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