CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks raised ticket prices before the NHL's four-month lockout. So did most of the league.
According to Team Marketing Report's annual NHL Fan Cost Index, the Blackhawks' average non-premium season ticket is estimated to be $62.88, a 12.9 percent increase from last year's reported price.
The average NHL season ticket is up 5.7 percent to $61.01.
The Blackhawks' Fan Cost Index price, the estimated cost to take a family of four to one of 24 regular-season games at the United Center, is $396.03, well above the league average of $354.82. The Blackhawks have the eighth-highest FCI and third in the United States, after Washington and New York. It doesn't hurt attendance as the Blackhawks led the league in attendance for the past four seasons and are first after three home games.
According to the survey, which uses season ticket prices typically provided by the team, the Blackhawks' average non-premium ticket is only the 13th-most expensive in the league. Their average premium ticket price is $128.08.
Nineteen teams showed price increases of 1 percent or more, with just three teams showing average decreases.
After the previous lockout, before the Blackhawks' renaissance, the team lowered prices by 11.7 percent.
According to Team Marketing Report, after the 2004-05 lockout, the average NHL ticket went down 7.5 percent to $41.19 with most teams dropping prices.
But during the 1994-95 lockout, which also resulted in a 48-game season, the average ticket price jumped 13.6 percent to $33.66. The Blackhawks' average went up 4 percent that season.