The Best (and Worst) NHL Stadiums for Families

You might have stumbled across our analysis of the best NFL stadiums for a family day out, but how about hockey lovers? What are the best stadiums for families heading to the rink?

Ahead of the NHL season, the team at Action Network has ranked the best NHL stadiums for families, focusing on affordability and family-friendly policies. We'll look at the total cost of a family day out and how each arena's pricing compares to the average.

Ranking Metrics

For this study, we considered several key factors:

• Cost of Four General Tickets
• Cost of Two Beers and Soft Drinks
• Cost of Four Hot Dogs and Parking
• Child Admission Policy
• Total Cost
• Comparison to Average

Most Affordable NHL Stadiums for Families

1. Mullett Arena – Arizona Coyotes

• Total Cost: $285.36
• % Below Average: -33.95%

Mullett Arena, former home of the Arizona Coyotes, comes in as the most affordable NHL stadium for families. With a total cost of $285.36, it's 29.77% below the average, making it an excellent choice for families looking for some cost-effective fun.

With the Coyotes being moved over to Utah for the 2024-25 season, it will be interesting to see if the affordable prices will move with them!

2. Amerant Bank Arena – Florida Panthers

• Total Cost: $298.91
• % Below Average: -30.81%

The Amerant Bank Arena offers a family-friendly atmosphere at an affordable price. With a total cost of $298.91, it comes in as $133.11 below the average cost in the NHL. The Amerant Bank Arena is also one of the only two stadiums that comes in below a total cost of $300, and is the only team to offer four tickets below $200.

Despite having cheap tickets, the Panthers charge a pretty penny for food and drinks — charging the same as the Vegas Golden Knights for concessions, $72!

3. Canadian Tire Centre – Ottawa Senators

• Total Cost: $306.88 (CA$423.26)
• % Below Average: -28.97%

The Canadian Tire Centre comes in as the only Canadian stadium in the top five most affordable teams for a family day out. With a total family day out cost of $306.88, it is 25.70% below the average, offering great value for families looking to enjoy an NHL game. Senators fans can also enjoy some of the cheapest concessions in the league — a total of $45.90 to feed and water your family.

4. KeyBank Center – Buffalo Sabres

• Total Cost: $308.58
• % Below Average: -28.57%

The KeyBank Center in Buffalo is another budget-friendly option, with a total cost of $308.58, offering Sabres fans a family experience $123.44 cheaper than the NHL average. A family of Buffalo fans can take advantage of the cheap parking of $17.78.

5. Nationwide Arena – Columbus Blue Jackets

• Total Cost: $326.82
• % Below Average: -24.35%

Rounding out the top five cheapest stadiums is the Nationwide Arena. With a total cost of $326.82, Blue Jackets fans can take their families with them for $105 less than the average NHL fan.

Switching attention to Canada, 2023/24 finalists Edmonton Oilers are just below the average cost in the NHL at $461.96, coming in $28 below average. The Oilers are also consensus favorites in the Stanley Cup odds for 2024.

Most Expensive NHL Stadiums for Families

Some stadiums in the NHL clearly offer great value for money, when compared to the average cost for families to attend an NHL game. At the other end of the spectrum, some stadiums require a family of four to splash their cash if they want to support their team.

1. Scotiabank Arena – Toronto Maple Leafs

• Total Cost $703.88 (CA$ 970.82)
• % Above Average: +62.93%

Scotiabank Arena, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, is the most expensive stadium for families. With a total cost of $703.88 (CA$ 970.82), it's $271.86 (CA$374.96) above average. The main source of this expense is the high ticket costs — Maple Leafs fans have to pay the most out of any other fans in the league on average.

2. T-Mobile Arena – Vegas Golden Knights

• Total Cost: $676.56
• % Above Average: 56.60%

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is known for its vibrant atmosphere, given the stadium’s backdrop. But Knights fans have to deal with high costs with a total cost of $676.56 for a family day out — pricey! The T-Mobile Arena comes in at $244.54 above the league average as the one of two stadiums to cost $200 over the NHL average for families.

3. Madison Square Garden – New York Rangers

• Total Cost: $617.18
• % Above Average: 42.86%

MSG is a truly iconic arena, and perhaps unsurprisingly, is one of the most expensive stadiums for a family day out. The total cost for a family day out is $617.18, making it $185.16 above the average. Tickets cost a family of four $525.24 in total, and Rangers fans unfortunately have the priciest beers in the NHL, costing $30 for two!

4. Bridgestone Arena – Nashville Predators

• Total Cost: $590.28
• % Above Average: 36.63%

Bridgestone Arena is a popular destination for hockey fans, with a total family cost of $590.28. This places it $158.26 above the average, meaning Nashville fans are out of pocket compared to the league average.

5. TD Garden – Boston Bruins

• Total Cost: $590.28
• % Above Average: 29.87%

The iconic TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins and the Celtics, rounds out the top five most expensive stadiums. With a total cost of $590.28, it is $129.06 above the average.

Much like the rest of the five most expensive, the main source of financial damage comes from tickets, costing $472.48 for four general admission tickets on average. Bruins fans are then looking at a cost of $66 if they want food and drinks for the family.

Methodology

All prices were scraped from Team Marketing Report’s 2023-24 NHL Fan Cost Index. We added up the cost of four general tickets, two beers, two soft drinks, four hot dogs and parking. We looked on the website of each stadium to source the child admission policy.

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You can find the sorted data here.