Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 Ticket Prices are Astonishing

Chicago Blackhawks fans have a rare opportunity to watch their team accomplish something at home that hasn't been done in several generations in the Windy City; win a Stanley Cup in Chicago.  The Blackhawks defeated Tampa Bay 2-1 in game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday to take a 3-2 series lead and therefore can win their first cup at home since 1938 when the puck is dropped at the United Center on Monday night.

Hawks fans who will be in attendance for Monday's potential historic game will be paying a tremendous amount to see their beloved team look to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the third time in six years.  A standing room only ticket that goes for around $50 during the regular season and has a face value of $140 during the post season is going for around $1,000.  If you actually want a seat, the cheapest one available is going for around $1,979, and yes it's quite a nose bleed seat, just shy of standing room only.

Upper goal seats that have a face value of $285 are listed on StubHub for $2,445 each, club level seats that have a face value of $650 are selling for $4,186, and if you dare to sit by the glass a $1,200 ticket is going for around $10,000.  The last time a ticket for a sporting event in Chicago was this costly was in 1997 for game 6 of the NBA Finals when Michael Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Jazz at home to win their fifth NBA championship.

The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the most loyal fan bases in the NHL.  They sell out every home game, and even those tickets aren't cheap by any means.  I paid more that $300 to watch the Blackhawks take on the Jets last December for two nose bleed seats in the 300 level at the United Center.

So the question that is worth asking is, would I pay these outrageous prices to attend this game?  Personally if I could afford it and was filthy rich then without question I would attend this game.  However, in my current financial state there are a lot of other places that I could spend that much money, so ultimately I would not pay to attend Monday's game.  With that being said, I can certainly understand people paying the ridiculous prices that they are for the chance to see the Hawks win it all at home.

The team won the 1961 Stanley Cup in Detroit, in 2010 they won it in Philadelphia, and in 2013 Chicago won the cup in Boston.  The irony of the Blackhawks' last Stanley clinching victory at home over Toronto in 1938 is that the cup wasn't even in Chicago!  The Stanley Cup was in Toronto because the Blackhawks entered the playoffs that year 11 games under .500 and were such underdogs against the Maple Leafs that NHL president Frank Calder sent the cup immediately to Toronto in anticipation that the Maple Leafs were going to easily win the championship.

If the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup at home it will be a fitting end to an epic series that is the closest cup final in 64 years.  All five games have been decided by 1 goal, and games 1,3,4 and 5 were all decided by a 2-1 score.  No team has held a two goal lead at any time in this series.  My prediction is that the Blackhawks will win the Stanley Cup at home on Monday and make myself and countless other Blackhawks fans so proud of this team and its modern dynasty.