Connor Bedard‘s home debut with the Chicago Blackhawks will unsurprisingly be the hottest ticket in town.
According to Vivid Seats, a ticket exchange and resale company, the average ticket sold for Bedard’s first game at the United Center on Saturday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights is $209.
That’s trending as the highest ticket price a Blackhawks game has generated in five years and is nearly 50% higher than the next highest price for a Blackhawks ticket in that span — a Dec. 27, 2019, game against the New York Islanders, at $148.
Vivid Seats has also tracked fans coming from up to 300 miles away to see the first of many Bedard home games.
Chicago selected the 18-year-old center first overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft, and coach Luke Richardson inserted Bedard directly into a prominent top-line role within the Blackhawks’ offense. Bedard played in his first NHL game on the league’s opening night, taking on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Vancouver native was matched against Crosby for the game’s opening faceoff, a draw he lost to the three-time Stanley Cup champion in a memorable moment.