Stanley Cup Final tickets are in high demand – especially in Edmonton

At 2,541 miles apart, this year’s Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers features the biggest distance between cities in Cup Final history.

The gap in ticket prices between the two venues is just as wide. The get-in prices on the secondary market for Games 3 and 4 in Edmonton are nearly double what they are for Games 1 and 2 in Sunrise, Fla., according to information provided by StubHub on Thursday.

All prices listed are in U.S. dollars for consistency.

The series begins on Saturday evening at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida, and tickets are selling at a high rate on the secondary market. According to StubHub, they’ve already sold nearly double the number of tickets for Game 1 compared to last year’s Game 1 between the Panthers and Golden Knights in Las Vegas.

The fact that Florida is playing in its second consecutive Cup Final could also be contributing to the number of tickets available (and sold) on the secondary market – and the greater volume of tickets likely leads to lower prices. The average price of the tickets sold is down 10 percent from last year’s first two games in Las Vegas, and is well below the prices for Games 3 and 4 in Edmonton.

The steep increase for prices in Edmonton is likely due to several factors. The first, and most obvious, is the thirst for Stanley Cup Final hockey in one of the most passionate markets in the sport. The Oilers haven’t played in the Final since 2006, and haven’t won the Cup since 1990.

“That’s something we see across all sports, is the team that hasn’t been there for a while really drives that demand,” said Adam Budelli, a spokesperson for StubHub. “We saw it with Michigan football this past year on the college football side. We’ve seen it in the past with Major League Baseball when the Rangers and Diamondbacks last year hadn’t won in a while.”

The higher prices in Edmonton also are a product of the games still being a few days away. Game 3 at Rogers Place isn’t until next Thursday, and Game 4 falling on a Saturday night also might be bumping up the average ticket price. According to StubHub, the current prices for Games 3 and 4 are on par with previous Stanley Cup Final series, when looking one week out from game day, and they expect to see the prices drop as the games near.

That also will depend on the outcomes of the games in Florida. If Game 4 turns into a potential close-out game, it could swing the prices dramatically one way or the other.

Either way, demand has been high on the secondary market. Even in Edmonton, where Oilers fans are desperate to see their team end the 31-year Cup drought for Canada, secondary ticket sales for Game 3 are up 28 percent from last year’s Game 3 in Florida, and Game 4 sales are up 66 percent.

(Photo of Oilers fans outside Rogers Place: Derek Leung / Getty Images)