RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Carolina Hurricanes playoff atmosphere never gets old for long-time fans like John Presby.

Presby has a homemade Stanley Cup standing tall in the back of his pickup truck.

“I brought this cup to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals and the playoffs for that, so I’ve been coming for a long time,” Presby said.

The atmosphere comes with a cost. According to the most recent Consumer Price Index, admission to sporting events rose 3.9 percent between March 2022 and March 2023, but that’s less than inflation– which rose five percent in the same time period.

“I pay probably twice as much as I paid 20-some years ago, so if its only increased that much over 20-some years I don’t think it’s that bad,” Presby said.

When it comes to playoff prices, Presby said he could see more casual fans being very shocked.

Presby said he feels he gets a fair price compared to what fans in other cities deal with.

According to two ticket resale sites, the cheapest tickers for Game 2 at PNC Arena hover around $90-$100 before fees, the cheapest tickets for Game 3 in New Jersey are around $160-$170 before fees.

Kevin Dedene said he used to be a season ticket holder for the Hurricanes but is no longer one because of the price.

Dedene said he still makes sure to go to at least one playoff game a season.

“It’s insane inside, absolutely insane, the tailgating is great, the fans are great, we’re all here to see the ‘Canes win and support ’em,” he said. “Let’s go ‘Canes!”

So while attending a Hurricanes playoff game may not be priceless, Bob Petrunka said it is worth the price.

“It is yes, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was worth the price,” Petrunka said.

When it comes to the cost of other major sports in the area, right now tickets for the sold-out Chelsea vs. Wrexham game coming to Chapel Hill this summer start around $120-$130 on the resale market.

It’ll be pretty hard for the price of Triangle sports to top Coach K’s final Duke Basketball home game. Those tickets at one point started around $4,000.