While some excitement is brewing now that fans will be able to watch the Habs vs. Leafs game in person at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the cost of tickets on resale sites is a bitter pill for those on a budget.
On Ticketmaster, the most expensive ticket for the game Saturday night costs $12,000 each.
Adding to the financial barrier is the fact that the tickets are only being sold in pairs, so to access the ticket, consumers will have to buy two.
That means a night out for two could cost a whopping $24,000 for a view in the 100 section close to the Blue Line.
While the $12,000 price tag is an outlier, there are no tickets currently on offer on StubHub or Ticketmaster that cost less than $1,500 each.
Limited availability
Game 6 will be the first time fans are welcomed back to the Bell Centre to cheer on the Canadiens this year.
As of today, the Quebec government is allowing indoor venues to host up to 2,500 people divided up into independent zones of 250.
At the Bell Centre, 2,500 people accounts for about 12 per cent of the venue’s capacity.
This helps explain why the inflated ticket prices.
While tickets for the game were made available to season ticket holders, it’s not clear how much they originally cost.
The Canadiens did not immediately return a request for comment.
LISTEN | Canadiens and Leafs face off in playoffs for the first time since 1979:
Front Burner28:10Habs vs Leafs: A short history
As the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs face off in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1979, CBC Montreal reporters Jonathon Montpetit and Antoni Nerestant break down the historic rivalry between the two teams. 28:10
Seats for frontline workers?
Last week, Alberta issued an exemption for 12 health workers to attend Game 1 between the Oilers and Jets as a gesture of thanks.
“This is just a small token of Alberta’s appreciation for the tireless work protecting Albertans over these very difficult 15 months from all of our health-care workers,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
Some fans have suggested the Canadiens could have done something similar.
I just can’t with the prices of the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Habs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Habs</a> hockey tickets for Saturday night. 6500$ a pair? At this point, I agree that they should have gone to nurses, doctors, grocery store workers…
—@angfromthedock
Donating tickets to health and other frontline workers has become increasingly common for NHL teams during the pandemic.
The New Jersey Devils donated 10,000 tickets for the 2020-21 season to frontline healthcare workers “as a show of appreciation and support to those fighting the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.”
In March, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed 100 essential workers to a home game against the Buffalo Sabres as part of its Essential Workers Salute contest.
The St. Louis Blues also reserved tickets to their first home game of the season for health workers. The game included a “special dedication puck drop honouring frontline workers and the heroic work they have done in our community over the last 10 months.”