Surprise! Second round NHL playoff tickets most expensive in Calgary

Remember how we talked about three of us here at M&G went down to Anaheim to watch a playoff game? There's a reason we did that: because playoff tickets in Anaheim are substantially cheaper than up in Calgary.

(We also went to Disneyland, which was, of course, incredibly important to do. Fun fact: a day pass at Disneyland costs less than a press level seat in Calgary at this point.)

Don't believe us? Vivd Seats, an online secondary ticket marketplace, has released a report showing just how high Calgary fanaticism soars.

Game 4 may be our last chance to actually watch the Flames at home - although of course, hopefully it's not - and it's the most costly of all initial second round games, with a then-median ticket price of $480 (that has surely only gone up after the ridiculous drama that was Game 3).

(That's a very, very far cry from the $80-something 200-level tickets I remember my dad getting for Game 6 against the Detroit Red Wings back in 2004.)

Montreal, the other remaining Canadian team? They're up there, but are more than $200 shy of what people out in western Canada are going for. Chicago and Minnesota, two hockey hotbeds? Things didn't end well for the Minnesota Wild, but both places provided expensive games to go to.

Not as expensive as Calgary, but expensive.

Anaheim, meanwhile, is the cheapest on the spectrum. Not surprising - it's southern California, they've got a good team that's expected to go beyond the second round, and also Disneyland is right there and Disneyland is awesome.

(Although I can now say from experience that going to a game in the midst of a day at Disneyland is a pretty good way to spend a day. ... Anyone up for a Game 5 trip?)

Likewise, there are a number of reasons why Calgary would be the most expensive out of all of the second round teams:

• No playoff hockey in six years tends to make people a little stir crazy.
• No second round playoff hockey in 11 years will also do that.
• We're Canadian, and really love our playoff hockey.
• Or just our hockey in general.
• But the playoff part is an awesome bonus.
• The Flames have been a ridiculous, nonsensical team all season long that has also probably been the most fun out of everyone, so of course people are going to want to see that in person for as long as they can.
• No expectations, after all, just means you want the ride to go on as long as it possibly can, and we aren't sure how much longer that's going to be.

If you've somehow managed to acquire Game 4 tickets tonight, hopefully they didn't cost you too much. If you're still on the look for them, hopefully they still will not cost you too much.

Although if we're honest with ourselves, they probably will, so hopefully they're worth it.

If it's anything like Game 3, they totally will be.