Frederick Stanley, Earl of Derby famously danated a trophy for the best team in hockey. Today, the best teams in the NHL play for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and this year’s road to Lord Stanley’s Cup is going to be good.

The Vancouver Canucks finished with the best overall record in the NHL, going 54-19. The Canucks face off against the defending Stanley Cup champ Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, which will be one of the more competitive of the first round match-ups.

Canadian golden-boy Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins start their playoff run against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while rival Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals take on the New York Rangers in the first round.

Which city is most hyped up for their respective team’s opening games? Check out the most in-demand NHL Playoffs tickets below. We averaged each team’s average ticket price for the first two home games in the first round to determine what city is most amped for this year’s chase for the Cup.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Tickets: Hottest Round 1 Home Teams

1. Vancouver Canucks tickets: $448
2. Montreal Canadiens (Habs) tickets: $375
3. Boston Bruins tickets: $275
4. New York Rangers tickets: $239
5. Washington Capitals tickets: $232
6. Chicago Blackhawks tickets: $226
7. Pittsburgh Penguins tickets: $225
8. Buffalo Sabres tickets: $200
9. San Jose Sharks tickets: $185
10. Philadelphia Flyers tickets: $172
11. Los Angeles Kings tickets: $156
12. Nashville Predators tickets: $109
13. Phoenix Coyotes tickets: $105
14. Anaheim Ducks tickets: $100
15. Detroit Red Wings tickets: $90
16. Tampa Bay Lightning tickets: $86

Canada loves it some hockey: both the Canucks and the Habs have the most in-demand tickets out of all 16 playoff teams. In fact, the Canucks tickets are almost $200 more on average than Bruins tickets.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Tickets: Hottest Round 1 Matchups

1. Canucks - Blackhawks tickets average: $337
2. Habs – Bruins tickets average: $325
3. Rangers – Caps tickets average: $236
4. Sabres – Flyers tickets average: $186
5. Sharks – Kings tickets average: $171
6. Pens – Lightning tickets average: $156
7. Ducks – Preds tickets average: $105
8. Wings – Yotes tickets average: $98

(Based on average ticket price for the series)

Check out the latest on Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tickets to the Conference Semifinals (Round 2)

The hottest ticket in sports right now? Most years that’s easy… the NBA Finals. This year with the historic implications of the Celts and Lakers, you’d think it be even easier.

It’s not.

…and it’s not close.  It’s the Stanley Cup Finals. The average ticket price of a Stanley Cup Finals game is $1,379, which ranks third to the Olympic Gold Medal Game (USA-Canada) and the Super Bowl. The average cost for an NBA Finals game is $853, which is almost 40% lower than those for the Stanley Cup.

The difference between the Stanley Cup Finals and the Super Bowl or the Gold Medal game is those are single events. The Stanley Cup is a series of games. For events like the Stanley Cup, fans have between 4 and 7 chances to go a game.

What’s more, Stanley Cup Game 5 tickets in Chicago now average $2,400. If the Hawks win tonight in Philly, Game 5 will give the Hawks a chance to win the Cup at home so you can expect that $2,400 average price to go up. To put that in perspective, a few days before the Super Bowl, tickets were selling for $2,200.

Even comparing the Stanley Cup as a whole against other big events, that’s two hockey events in the top three events of the year.

Average ticket prices for comparable events:
- Olympic Gold Medal Hockey (U.S. v Canada) tickets =  $3,600 – $4,300
- Super Bowl tickets =  $2,200 – $3,200
- Stanley Cup = $1,325
- Masters Badges = 1,143
- World Series game tickets =  $910 – $1,100
- BCS National Championship ticket =  $865 – $1,000
- 2010 MLB Opening Day (Yankees @ Red Sox) tickets = $600
- Final Four Championship tickets = $230

FanSnap ticket search shows 3,000+ tickets to Game 5 from eight ticket sites: StubHub, TicketsNow, TicketNetwork, RazorGator, eBay, Gold Coast Tickets, Prestige Entertainment, Big Time Worldwide.

Stanley Cup Game 5 Tickets Breakdown:
- Lowest price tickets = $635 (standing room only)
- Lowest price seats = $838 (Upper Level Goal 309)
- Lower bowl tickets start at $1,844 and go up to $8,800
- Tickets on the Glass range from $4,188 to $7150

Stanley Cup finals tickets average:
- in Chicago = $1519
- in Philly = $1192

NBA Finals average:
- in L.A. = $1027
- in Boston = $644

FanSnap is the largest search engine for tickets. As such, we have the broadest possible view of the open market for tickets. FanSnap checks ticket prices from 60+ tickets sites so fans don’t have to. We then make comparing and buying tickets a snap. Here’s a snapshot of Stanley Cup tickets.

Average ticket prices are higher in Chicago than Philly

Stanley Cup ticket listings for games in Philly are up $60+ on average since the Flyers beat the Canadiens in the Conference Finals. On the 24th, Stanley Cup tickets in Philly averaged $753. Today, tickets average $812.

The trend in Chicago is the opposite. Stanley Cup ticket prices in Chicago are trending down. On the 24th, Cup tickets in Chicago averaged $1,080. Today, the average price is down nearly $100 to $786.

The lowest price tickets are in Chicago

While the average price of tickets in Chicago are higher than Philly. The lowest price tickets — sometimes called the get-in price — are more than $100 lower in Chicago.

• Game 1 tickets in Chicago for $250 for SRO. (There are Game 2 SRO tickets for $295).
• Game 3 in Philly for $345 for SRO. (There are Game 4 SRO tickets for $381).

Best Overall Value is in Philly

Buying tickets for super hot events can be daunting for fans. FanSnap takes the guesswork out of the equation by comparing the prices for comparable tickets throughout the venue and then showing fans the Best Value Tickets (sm). Best Value Tickets are the tickets priced significantly lower than comparable tickets.

There are ticket currently listed for Stanley Cup Game 3 in Philly in Lower Center 123 for $699 each. Comparable tickets average $1527. Fans who search with FanSnap save 54% off the average.

Lowest Price tickets on the Glass… are in Philly

Game 1: in Chicago $2,838 for Platinum Glass Seating 114 (single ticket)
Game 2: in Chicago $2,639 for Platinum Glass Seating 109 (single ticket)

* Two tickets together on the glass in Chicago range from $5,000 to $10,000

Game 1: in Philly $2,195 for Lower Center 123, Row 1 (single ticket)
Game 2: in Philly $1,319 for Lower Goal 121, row 1 (4 tickets)

* Two tickets together on the glass in Philly range from $2,500 to $4,000

20,000 tickets from 16 ticket sites

We’re currently seeing more than 20,000 ticket listings for the first four games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Sixteen ticket sites currently have tickets to see the Hawks and Flyers vie for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Fans can use FanSnap to compare Stanley Cup Finals tickets from StubHub, TicketNetwork, RazorGator, TicketsNow, eBay, Gold Coast Tickets, Prestige Entertainment, ASC Ticket Company, Totally Tickets, Ace Ticket, A Great Place to Sit, 714Tickets.com, Ticket Solutions, The Ticket Guys, ABC Tickets, Wanamaker Ticket Office.

Average ticket prices for comparable events:

- BCS National Championship ticket =  $865 – $1,000
- World Series game tickets =  $910 – $1,100
- Super Bowl tickets =  $2,200 – $3,200
- Olympic Gold Medal Hockey (U.S. v Canada) tickets =  $3,600 – $4,300
- 2010 MLB Opening Day (Yankees @ Red Sox) tickets = $600
- Final Four Championship tickets = $230

Big Buff’s Big Goal = Big Win

The coolest jerseys in the NHL just made it to the biggest series in hockey. The Chicago Blackhawks completed a four-game sweep of the San Jose Sharks sending the Hawks back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992 where they will face the Philadelphia Flyers or the Habs of Montreal.

Chicago Blackhawks tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals average $1,245

The Hawks will face the winner of the Flyers - Canadiens so we took a look at what tickets to see either of  those teams average for the Finals:

• Philadelphia Flyers tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals average $760
• Montreal Canadiens tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals average $1,524

At $1,245, the Stanley Cup is second only to the Super Bowl and the USA-Canada Gold Medal game for the hottest tickets in sports.

FanSnap searches 60+ ticket sites so fans don’t have to. We’re currently seeing nearly 7,000 ticket listings for the Hawks Stanley Cup Finals game. Fourteen sites currently have tickets for the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fans can use FanSnap to compare Stanley Cup Finals tickets from StubHub, TicketNetwork, RazorGator, TicketsNow, eBay, Gold Coast Tickets, Prestige Entertainment, ASC Ticket Company, Totally Tickets, Ace Ticket, A Great Place to Sit, 714Tickets.com, Ticket Solutions and The Ticket Guys.

Showing the most comprehensive selection of Hawks tickets let’s us show fans the Best Value Tickets. For the Hawks games, the single Best Value Tickets are Upper Level Center for $575. That is 56% less than comparable tickets.

Average ticket prices for comparable events:
- BCS National Championship ticket =  $865 – $1,000
- World Series game tickets =  $910 – $1,100
- Super Bowl tickets =  $2,200 – $3,200
- Olympic Gold Medal Hockey (U.S. v Canada) tickets =  $3,600 – $4,300
- 2010 MLB Opening Day (Yankees @ Red Sox) tickets = $600
- Final Four Championship tickets = $230

Following your favorite hockey team as they make their way through the NHL playoffs, on their way to the Stanley Cup can be confusing. Keeping track of NHL playoffs tickets can be harder still. We’ve gone ahead and made it easy to follow your favorite NHL team’s tickets throughout the playoffs. We dropped the NHL playoff teams into an NHL Western Conference bracket and and NHL Eastern Conference bracket. They show playoffs matchups with a link to tickets for that matchup.

NHL Western Conference Bracket 2010

NHL Eastern Conference Bracket

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

Also check out Stanley Cup Tickets by the Numbers

I just got home from a blazing NHL playoff game and I can’t wait to watch the SportsCenter highlights!  The Sharks, down in the series 1-0 after the Avalanche got the road win the other night, matched every Avs goal and actually scored in the last minute of EVERY period tonight to force a 5-5 overtime, which the Sharks went on to win 6-5 on a power play goal by Devin Setoguchi.

So that means all five NHL series where the first two games have been played are knotted at 1-1!

Senators – Penguins tickets

Devils – Flyers tickets

Predators – Blackhawks tickets

Coyotes – Red Wings tickets

Avalanche – Sharks tickets

Of course, Bruins – Sabres tickets for game #2 tomorrow are available as well!  Using FanSnap, fans can save a substantial amount on great NHL playoff tickets!

Have fun!

Which NHL Playoffs tickets are hottest?

The Canadians — just like the Olympics — are in the lead. The Canucks and Canadiens tickets are both averaging $293 for each team’s two home games. The Pens, Caps and Blackhawks round out the top 5. Team number six was a bit of a surprise. Sabres tickets are averaging $163, placing Buffalo fans at number six on the fan demand list.

That puts the Sabres tickets ahead of historically hot hockey tickets like Wings, Bruins, Avs and Devils. Sabres tickets are even outpacing Preds tickets — the NHL ticket with the biggest post-Olympic bounce.

Hottest NHL Playoffs tickets – Round 1

Vancouver Canucks (tickets) -   $293
Montreal Canadiens (tickets) -  $293
Pittsburgh Penguins (tickets) – $246
Washington Capitals (tickets) – $246
Chicago Blackhawks (tickets) – $210
Buffalo Sabres (tickets) -          $163
San Jose Sharks (tickets) -        $159
Philadelphia Flyers (tickets) –   $155
Los Angeles Kings (tickets) -    $142
Ottawa Senators (tickets) -       $137
Nashville Predators (tickets) -  $137
Detroit Red Wings (tickets) -    $127
Boston Bruins (tickets) -          $126
Colorado Avalanche (tickets) – $123
Phoenix Coyotes (tickets) –      $119
New Jersey Devils (tickets) -    $97

NHL Best Value Tickets(sm)

Hottest teams is interesting, but we took it a bit deeper. We’re seeing tremendous choice available right now — from roughly 1,000 to 5,000 ticket listings per game.  With that comes tremendous variability in price for comparable tickets. The biggest variations in Home Game 1 tickets are in Boston where comparable tickets vary by as much as 52%. Interestingly, we’re seeing the more searches for Bruins tickets than any other NHL team right now. Today, Bruins ticket searches rival what we are seeing for the Yankees and Twins Home Openers.

Which conference has the hotter tickets?

Eastern Conference            Average ticket price (home games)
1. WASHINGTON CAPITALS   $246
2. NEW JERSEY DEVILS           $98
3. BUFFALO SABRES              $163
4. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS     $246
5. OTTAWA SENATORS         $137
6. BOSTON BRUINS               $126
7. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS      $155
8. MONTRÉAL CANADIENS   $293

Average Eastern Conference ticket = $183

Western Confernece            Average ticket price (home games)
1. SAN JOSE SHARKS              $159
2. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS    $210
3. VANCOUVER CANUCKS     $293
4. PHOENIX COYOTES           $119
5. DETROIT RED WINGS         $127
6. LOS ANGELES KINGS         $142
7. NASHVILLE PREDATORS    $137
8. COLORADO AVALANCHE   $123

Average Western Conference ticket = $163.75

The fun thing about tickets is this will all be different tomorrow. We’ll stay on top of it and report back.

Christian

After two exciting game sevens, here we are – down to the four best hockey teams in the land.

The match ups are set:

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #4 Chicago Blackhawks

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes

Once again, the field pretty much proves that the regular season and seedings mean nothing.

NHL playoff hockey.  The NHL Conference Finals.  Hard ticket to get, right?  Nope.

There are tons of choice ticket listings for pro hockey fans right now:

@ Detroit Red Wings tickets:  2800+ available, starting at $108

@ Chicago Blackhawks tickets:  2300+ available, starting at $75

@ Pittsburgh Penguins tickets:  600+ available, starting at $186

@ Carolina Hurricanes tickets:  300+ available, starting at $93

Check back often as the available tickets and prices will vary!

Lace those skates tighter.