With the 2018 Stanley Cup finals in full gear and the average NHL ticket costing more than an NBA ticket, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Best Cities for Hockey Fans.
It is certainly not surprising that the Arizona Franchise in the National Hickey League is the least valuable and ranked last as a Hockey fan entertainment franchise. Las Vegas the newest franchise in its first year is rated Number 18.
To determine the best places for hockey spectators, WalletHub compared 73 U.S. cities based on two divisional categories, professional and college hockey, across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from the performance level of the city’s teams to minimum season ticket prices to stadium capacity.
Top 20 Cities for Hockey Fans
| 1 | Boston, MA | 11 | Philadelphia, PA | |
| 2 | Detroit, MI | 12 | San Jose, CA | |
| 3 | Pittsburgh, PA | 13 | St. Paul, MN | |
| 4 | New York, NY | 14 | Denver, CO | |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | 15 | Sunrise, FL | |
| 6 | Newark, NJ | 16 | Tampa, FL | |
| 7 | St. Louis, MO | 17 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| 8 | Buffalo, NY | 18 | Las Vegas, NV | |
| 9 | Anaheim, CA | 19 | Dallas, TX | |
| 10 | Washington, DC | 20 | Glendale, AZ |
Best vs. Worst
- The Washington Capitals’ performance level, 65.04 percent, is 1.7 times better than the Buffalo Sabres’, at 37.80 percent.
- The Denver Pioneers’ performance level, 64.02 percent, is 3.2 times better than the Niagara Purple Eagles’, at 19.86 percent.
- San Jose, Calif., Denver & Anaheim, Calif. have the lowest average ticket price for an NHL game, $94, which is 2.6 times lower than in Boston, the city with the highest at $243.
- Chicago has the highest attendance rate for NHL games, 109.80 percent, which is 1.5 times higher than in Raleigh, N.C., the city with the lowest at 71.30 percent.
- Chicago has the highest team franchise value, $1,000 million, which is 3.3 times higher than in Glendale, Ariz., the city with the lowest at $300 million.