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U.S. Olympic Hockey Heroics Spurring Tickets Sales for NHL Games Online
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- U.S. Olympic Hockey Heroics Spurring Tickets Sales for NHL Games Online
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There was more than a gold medal on the line following Team USA's overtime win over Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics hockey final: new data shows the U.S.' historic hockey victory also led to a spike in ticket sales for regular season hockey games online.
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Team USA defeated Canada by a score of 2-1 after New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes slotted the winning goal home just over 90 seconds into sudden-death overtime. The golden goal secured the U.S. men's first Olympic gold medal since the famous "Miracle on Ice" wi n over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Now, stats from ticketing site Gametime show ticket purchases for New Jersey Devils NHL games spiked "dramatically" in the hours following the gold medal game.
Gametime says transactions for National Hockey League tickets online were "more than 10x higher" than a typical day. The so-called "get-in price" for upcoming Devils' games also "more than doubled," per Gametime, with Wednesday's game between New Jersey and the Buffalo Sabres showing a 127% price increase. "This kind of demand spike is typically reserved for playoff runs and championship celebrations," notes Gametime on its blog.
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The 2026 Olympics were officially a ratings bonanza , with NBCUniversal touting an average of more than 23 million viewers watching across NBC, Peacock, USA Network and CNBC during the two-week period. Hockey was among the biggest draws, with the U.S. women's hockey team's victory over Canada ranking as the most-watched women's hockey game ever, attracing 5.3 million viewers across USA Network and Peacock. While ratings for the men's gold medal match — which also saw the U.S. topple Canada — have yet to be released, it's clear there's a surge of new interest in the sport.
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That's not even taking into account the "Heated Rivalry" effect : ticketing site SeatGeek released data in January suggesting that the hit HBO Max show may have driven demand for hockey tickets, especially among new fans. According to SeatGeek, the average number of hockey tickets sold on its site increased by 24% during the week of "Heated Rivalry's" buzzy season one finale in December.
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The site also cited a 13% year-over-year increase in the share of solo ticket buyers. As SeatGeek says, "This trend aligns with anecdotal evidence that 'Heated Rivalry' may be pulling in new or more casual fans—people curious enough to check out a game on their own."
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You can find NHL tickets online on Ticketmaster , which is the Official Ticket Marketplace of the NHL. Can't find the seats you want or looking to score a deal online? You can also buy NHL tickets online through third-party sites like SeatGeek , Gametime , StubHub and Vivid Seats .
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The 2025-26 NHL season kicked off in October before the league took a mid-season break in February to allow players to complete in the Olympics. The league resumes play Feb. 25 as teams fight for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs in April. The Florida Panthers are the current Stanley Cup champions , having defeated the Edmonton Oilers last year.
The Professional Women's Hockey League or PWHL, meantime, resumes play after the Olympics on Feb. 26. The eight-team women's league features Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Seattle and Vancouver. The current champions are the Minnesota Frost.
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