As Penguins fan know well, the cost of a ticket to a sport that is not subsidized by the television industry is steep. For the second straight year, the NHL has the highest percentage of increase in ticket prices among major U.S. pro sports. The average ticket price for an NHL game, excluding premium seating, is $61.

By Jon Greenberg, ESPNChicago.com

CHICAGO -- Despite a lockout that wiped out the entire preseason and 34 regular-season games, NHL teams instituted the largest ticket percentage increase among the pro hockey league, the NBA and the NFL for the second consecutive season, according to an annual study by Team Marketing Report, a Chicago-based sports marketing research firm. The 2013 MLB ticket average will be released at the start of the season.

None of these averages includes club, premium or suite tickets.

After a four-month lockout, the NHL began play in January and season-ticket prices went up 5.7 percent, according to the recently released Team Marketing Report Fan Cost Index. The average season ticket for non-premium seats is $61.01. As usual, ticket prices were set well before the season.

The NBA's average ticket went up 3.5 percent to $50.99 and the NFL's went up 2.5 percent to $78.38. The average MLB ticket for the 2012 season was even at $26.98.

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