Ticket Prices from the 40's-70's

[CpatainCanuck]

I've heard it said many times that before the WHA was formed to compete with the nhl the players were grossly underpayed, even a superstar like Gordie Howe only earning about 20,000 dollars a year in the late 50's.

However, on the flipside, team revenue was also much lower then it is today. Without any significant tv deals or merchandise sales, the league was even more dependent on gate revenue that today.

For the old-timers out there, how much did the average ticket cost in decades past? I haven't been able to find this data on the internet.

With that knowledge, its pretty easy to estimate a team's gate revenue.

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[pappyline]

I've heard it said many times that before the WHA was formed to compete with the nhl the players were grossly underpayed, even a superstar like Gordie Howe only earning about 20,000 dollars a year in the late 50's.

However, on the flipside, team revenue was also much lower then it is today. Without any significant tv deals or merchandise sales, the league was even more dependent on gate revenue that today.

For the old-timers out there, how much did the average ticket cost in decades past? I haven't been able to find this data on the internet.

With that knowledge, its pretty easy to estimate a team's gate revenue.

Interesting question. I went to my first game at MLG in the 50's. I was only a kid so didn;t know what we paid but think it was only in the $5 to $10 range for blue seats

 

[Dark Shadows]

Same Pappy.

Prices never hopped that much even into the 70's. Seemed like around $8-$12 is what I remember most since by that point I was paying for my own all the time

But heck, its been awhile.

 

[Big Phil]

Sorry I couldnt give you an exact price on them in the '50s at least. My dad took me to the games back then so naturally I didnt pay for them. I can remember in the '60s getting reall good seats for $15 but it's vague.

 

[brianscot]

I know that in the old Boston Garden, circa 1972, you could get an upper deck ticket for 5 bucks.

Some of the balcony tickets in that era were 3 dollars. Not a great ticket, but a small price to witness Orr.

 

[Fourier]

It is a little later than your time line but I paid between $9-16 dollars for my season tickets in Edmonton from 1978-1988. Very good seats near the bottom of the upper bowl. At that time there was no discount for season tickets over walk-up prices.

 

[justsomeguy]

Opening night at Maple Leaf Gardens the best seats in the house went for $1.80. Programs were another 15 cents. Close to 10% of the average working man's weekly salary. That's if he had a job, economic times being a fair bit tougher then than now.

Pretty sure my income hasn't kept pace with ticket prices, particulary in the past 20 years.

 

[CpatainCanuck]

Opening night at Maple Leaf Gardens the best seats in the house went for $1.80. Programs were another 15 cents. Close to 10% of the average working man's weekly salary. That's if he had a job, economic times being a fair bit tougher then than now.

Pretty sure my income hasn't kept pace with ticket prices, particulary in the past 20 years.

When was this?

 

[justsomeguy]

November, 1931

 

[CpatainCanuck]

Opening night at Maple Leaf Gardens the best seats in the house went for $1.80. Programs were another 15 cents. Close to 10% of the average working man's weekly salary. That's if he had a job, economic times being a fair bit tougher then than now.

Pretty sure my income hasn't kept pace with ticket prices, particulary in the past 20 years.

Well; if we just use that number of $1.80 for arguments sake as the average ticket price (even though it represents the top end seats):

$1.80*16,307 seats*48 games= $1,408,925 yearly revenue.

I think this is probably very high; as some seats would have cost substantially less.

Obviously the league couldn't have afforded six-figure salaries at that time; but perhaps five digits would have been a reasonable number.

 

[Stephen]

Well; if we just use that number of $1.80 for arguments sake as the average ticket price (even though it represents the top end seats):

$1.80*16,307 seats*48 games= $1,408,925 yearly revenue.

I think this is probably very high; as some seats would have cost substantially less.

Obviously the league couldn't have afforded six-figure salaries at that time; but perhaps five digits would have been a reasonable number.

Well keep in mind, the $1.4 million inflated number would be cut in half to $700,000 since they only played 24 games at home.

Also, considering the whole franchise cost $160,000 in 1927, 5 digit salaries would have been pretty high for a 20 man roster. If every man made $10,000, the payroll would be higher than the value of the franchise...

 

[CpatainCanuck]

Well keep in mind, the $1.4 million inflated number would be cut in half to $700,000 since they only played 24 games at home.

Also, considering the whole franchise cost $160,000 in 1927, 5 digit salaries would have been pretty high for a 20 man roster. If every man made $10,000, the payroll would be higher than the value of the franchise...

Good point about the home games... a pretty elementary mistake.

 

[Murphy7]

Mid-70s at the Spectrum in Philly was $8 for lower level seats.
By 1990, it was $12 for second level.

 

[justsomeguy]

Well; if we just use that number of $1.80 for arguments sake as the average ticket price (even though it represents the top end seats):

$1.80*16,307 seats*48 games= $1,408,925 yearly revenue.

I think this is probably very high; as some seats would have cost substantially less.

Obviously the league couldn't have afforded six-figure salaries at that time; but perhaps five digits would have been a reasonable number.

It was the rinkside blue seats that went for $1.80. Figure no more than half of the 13,500 seats went for that rate.

No doubt the teams could have afforded to pay higher salaries but that would have diminished profits and, for the owners, hockey was a business. You could make the argument that NHL owners were actually fairly enlightened employers, as least from the salary point of view

In that era a high level professional hockey player made easily twice what the average lunch-bucket carrying workingman earned and probably looked forward to going to work a whole lot more than most of the guys they grew up with did.

There was a time when hockey was a way out of poverty. Now it seems only the rich kids can afford to play.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

First game I attended at Boston Garden, around 1964 or 65, side balcony seat was $3.00. 1979 Whalers ticket was $6.00.