If you are hoping to find hockey tickets in your stocking on Christmas morning, you may be cursing Santa under your breath over your ham and eggs.
Judging by the cost of NHL ducats, the elves will need to put in a little overtime to pay for those suckers.
Hockey tickets may be a little tough to come by this holiday season. Ask for a big-screen television. Any size. You'll be further ahead.
According to the Team Marketing Report's numbers from last season, the average price to take a family of four for an NHL night out was $258. Not exactly pizza and a movie.
Heading out to a game in Montreal would hit you in the wallet. Hard. For a team that didn't even see a post-season game one year ago, a Habs game would set your family back about $333, priciest in the league.
Yikes. Imagine if these guys had any recent success at all.
Down in Florida, the Panthers, who have not played a post-season game since 2000, rewarded their fans by jacking up a night out by more than 20 percent.
Mind you, the Cats have nothing on their down and out brothers in St. Louis when it comes giving it to their fans.
The Blues were the third-cheapest night out despite inflating their prices by 17 percent.
Best bang for the buck came in Buffalo, not that anyone outside of Western New York would want to go there anyway. Despite advancing to the Eastern Conference final with one of the most exciting teams in the league last season, a family of four could enjoy a Sabres game with all the trimmings for an average of $187, second cheapest in the NHL.
Expensive as it may be to snag hockey tickets, NHL fans can take solace in that they are not the most overpriced average ticket in North American pro sports. Both the NFL ($330) and NBA ($263) will set you back more.
Even so, if you are expecting Saint Nick to leave hockey tickets under the tree, you'd be better off holding out for the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy.
Either way, it's in your dreams.