Shocking disparity in Maple Leafs ticket prices vs. other venues

There is simply no getting around it - tickets to attend a Toronto Maple Leafs home game are among the highest priced in the National Hockey League today, and regular fans have essentially been priced out in favor of corporate suits who are more interested in wining and dining their clients while checking the latest stock quotes on the latest iPhone instead of paying attention to what is transpiring on the ice. 

It's such a burden on one's wallet that even jolly Old Saint Nick wasn't able to afford to take in a Leafs home game. As a matter of fact, it was less expensive for Santa and Mrs. Claus to drive down to Columbus, buy tickets for a Columbus Blue Jackets game at Nationwide Arena, pay for fuel, dinner and a hotel room than it would be to take in a Leafs home game. 

Take a look at this humorous account via the folks over at FanSided.

"Of course, this story is nothing new, as the price of tickets for all big-league entertainment, whether it be hockey, basketball, concerts or theatre is now out of reach for so many.

Don’t feel too badly for old Saint Nick, however.  After seeing what it would cost this year to see the Toronto Maple Leafs  play at home, he loudly proclaimed “ROAD TRIP”!

Santa, Mrs. Claus and one of the Clauslings instead made the six hour drive to Columbus, Ohio to watch the Leafs take on the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena last night.  Tuning the laptop back into the website of the unnamed ticket pirates, we see that we can sit in decent upper bowl seats for under $50 (US).  Alternatively, there are pockets of seats in the lower bowl available for under $90 (US).

For the price of three Scotiabank Arena nosebleed seats, Santa’s family will see a game from seats about 15 rows up from the ice, pay for gas, a nice hotel room, a couple of good restaurants, and perhaps sample some local ales."

A recent study from the online gambling company Betway found that the average cost to take a family of four to a Leafs home game comes out to approximately $860 - and that's just ticket cost alone before you factor in the cost of parking, food and beverages, and maybe a piece of merchandise. 

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