Ottawa Senators ranked third most affordable arena for a family day out. Action Network has ranked the best NHL stadiums for families, considering ticket prices, food and beverage costs, and parking fees for a family of four.
The average price for a family day out (four tickets, two beers, two soft drinks, four hotdogs, and parking) at the Candian Tire Centre is $423.26 (CAD). This is 28.97% below the league average. This total is mainly due to the low concession costs.
Another key factor to this third-place finish is the lower ticket costs. Just four tickets are $326.16 (CAD) by the Action Network metrics.
The only two teams with a lower family day price were Arizona’s Mullet Arena and Florida’s Amerant Bank Arena. Notably, both teams with poor attendance. Though Arizona was credited with all 41 home games being sellouts, a Mullet Arena sellout is only 4,600 people. Four general tickets in Arizona cost $277.88 (CAD). Florida had a better attendance record than the Senators, boasting a 96.8%, while Ottawa stood at 95.5%.
However, for a team that won a cup, to be just points ahead of the 26th-place Senators is not all that impressive. What likely boosted the Panthers’ attendance was the fact that their general tickets for four cost only $267.17 (CAD). The lowest of any team in the NHL.
So, are affordability and attendance linked? How much do die-hard hockey fans really account for cost?
The answer for many teams is not all that much. The Vegas Golden Knights had the second-best attendance over the 2023-2024 season according to the Athletic, but based on the family day-out totals, had the second highest cost coming in at $929.17 (CAD) for a family of four.
In a not-surprising finding at all, a family day at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto is the most expensive at $966.56 (CAD) for four. However, the Leafs still managed to reach 99.8% average capacity.
But where do the Senators stand in all of this?
Well, they had a higher attendance record than every team below them in the standings and have experienced a 5.9% increase in attendance over the past season. Their low ticket and concessions costs could be a likely factor in this spike in attendance, however, new management, increased fan experience focus, and roster moves could also be contributors.
The Senators recorded 18 sellouts in the 2023-2024 season, five of which came after February 24th, when the team was far out of playoff contention.
For a while, Ottawa has been the butt of many attendance jokes, and discussions of moving venues have led to many people discrediting the Canadian Tire Centre. However, according to the media relations department, the Senators have drawn 700,000-plus fans for the first time since 2015-16. Showing that fans are still willing to travel to Kanata, Ontario to catch a game.
As Senators president Cyril Leeder said in an interview in mid-February, the team “benefitted from the pre-season excitement about the talent on the roster as well as the changes in ownership and management.”
In a day where sports are getting increasingly less affordable, these numbers show that Ottawa fans have another reason to be thankful they are not Leafs fans.
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