While the Buffalo Sabres have struggled to make it to the playoffs in over a decade, Buffalo was named one of the best cities for hockey fans in a recently released study by WalletHub.
The study compared over 75 U.S. cities across two divisional categories — the National Hockey League and Division 1 Men’s NCAA hockey — based on 20-plus key metrics that make up a good hockey city, including average ticket prices, stadium capacity and performance level of each city’s teams.
“Hockey is one of the most underappreciated sports in America, but its popularity is steadily growing, bringing in record-breaking revenue and attendance,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “The best cities for hockey provide good opportunities to watch high-performing NHL teams in person, and sometimes NCAA teams as well.”
Here’s what to know.
Buffalo’s downtown is a hub for all things hockey as it’s centered around the KeyBank Center, LECOM Harborcenter and its outdoor skating availability in the winter. The Queen City is also home to a multitude of hockey teams and rinks scattered throughout the area.
WalletHub focused on the Buffalo Sabres and the men’s Canisius University Golden Griffins team in their study, but other college-level Buffalo-area teams include the Buffalo State Bengals and University at Buffalo Ice Bulls, both men’s and women’s.
According to the study, Buffalo has the second-lowest average ticket price for an NHL game, is tied for 4th lowest when it comes to the minimum season ticket price for NCAA games and has the 3rd highest NHL stadium capacity.
Every city in WalletHub’s top 10 is represented by at least one NHL team. Here’s which cities are the best for hockey fans, according to the report:
WalletHub compared 76 U.S. cities based on 21 key metrics grouped into NHL and Division 1 Men’s NCAA hockey categories. Here’s which elements went into the rankings.
The NHL category took a look at these factors:
The NCAA category included these elements:
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of April 30, 2025 and the information was sourced from several entities, such as ESPN, U.S. College Hockey Online, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and each team’s website.
Emily Barnes on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
