Photo of a hockey fan holding Toronto Maple Leafs tickets.

Image Credit: Michael Schneider (CC BY-SA 2.0)

For many consecutive seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs have boasted the most expensive tickets in the NHL when it comes to resale value. According to TiqIQ, the average ticket to a Toronto Maple Leafs home game costs $374 on the secondary ticket market (marketplaces like Stubhub, SeatGeek, etc). That's nearly $100 more expensive than the average ticket to a Vancouver Canucks home game. The Canucks boast the second most expensive tickets on the NHL's secondary ticket market. In an effort to combat the lucrative resale market of Toronto Maple Leafs single game tickets, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) are raising season ticket prices to cut into the profit margins of scalpers. Many fans and individuals in the ticketing and entertainment industry are skeptical that this is a solution that will work. Won't ticket scalpers just raise their asking price in order to recoup that money?

Maple Leafs season ticket packages will increase from $7-$16 per ticket for the 2017-2018 NHL season. The price hike is frustrating to current season ticket holders although it's estimated that nearly 100% if the season ticket holders from the 2016-2017 NHL season will renew next year. As a result, the Toronto Maple Leafs ticket offices will also now be allowing automatic season ticket renewals in addition to 12 month billing cycles. The ticket office previously offered their fans an 8 month billing cycle; 12 months will give season ticket holders an opportunity to pay smaller installments each month. 

Since Toronto Maple Leafs tickets sell for nearly double face value on the secondary ticket market, representatives from Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment are skeptical that Maple Leafs fans will be required to spend more money on tickets to a game. Instead, they argue that the demand for tickets will remain unchanged and the scalper will be the only party that loses money. And just in case you're wondering, the best bargains on resale NHL tickets can be found in Raleigh, North Carolina (Carolina Hurricanes) and Miami, Florida (Florida Panthers). 

Many Maple Leafs fans will argue that Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the team's owners, are just being greedy. And while they're definitely out to make money; they aren't hurting for it either. The Toronto Maple Leafs organization are the third wealthiest franchise in the NHL behind the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs are also loaded with young talent which will keep the Air Canada Centre full of spectators for many more years to come. 

 

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