Toronto Maple Leafs: How Much Would You Pay for Playoff Tickets?

Supply and demand is a basic economic concept to help describe the factors which determine the value or price of a commodity.

Looking at this concept with ticket sales in mind, the Toronto Maple Leafs sell out every game, win or lose, without fail. The sheer size of their fanbase essentially ensures a dog-fight for tickets and also pumps life into the secondary sales market. Scalpers can essentially mark up the ticket prices of highly coveted games to exuberant amounts, and Leaf fanatics will pay.

If Vancouver Canucks fans were fortunate enough to buy tickets for the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, the base price started at $90 each. The prices increased to $117.25 for Round 2, but on the secondary market, you would have to fork out more than double that amount just to think about getting in the door.

A ticket service retailer estimated that for the Stanley Cup Finals, those prices would be north of $2,000 apiece. (via www.news1130.com)

The Air Canada Centre has a capacity of 18,800 for NHL games, and the availability of those seats would come at a premium should the Maple Leafs indeed make the playoffs at the end of the 2011-12 season.

I will admit that it may be a little premature as a Leafs fan to be thinking this far ahead. However, based on a study by the Toronto Star going back to 1993, NHL teams in a playoff spot by U.S. Thanksgiving have a 77.3 percent success rate for actually making the postseason.

For the sake of having the discussion, should the Leafs make the playoffs this year, how much would you be willing to pay to experience the first, second, third or final round(s) first hand?