This article has been updated twice since the original post with mid-season information. Scroll down the story to see the original info and the prior month update.
Mid-February update
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break and a relatively quiet period underway in the hockey world, we took the opportunity to review the NHL’s attendance figures across the league. As a reminder, the attendance figures are reported attendance by the teams, which tends to be defined as “tickets distributed.” It is not a perfect measure of attendance but is the only metric that is publicly shared.
The average attendance league-wide has slightly increased from 17,443 to 17,448 since our last update a month ago, with the numbers holding at their highest since the 2012-13 season.
As is typical, most NHL teams tend to see higher attendance in the second half of the season compared to the first, so this uptick is not unexpected.
The Kings and Penguins continue to experience soft attendance numbers, with the largest declines in the NHL season-over-season. Pittsburgh’s low numbers are likely due to missing the playoffs last season and a current season that appears to be heading in the same direction.
The Kings’ low attendance numbers are partially attributed to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires that impacted the area.”
Recent changes in attendance
Isolating the data from Jan. 1 to Feb. 10 provides a snapshot of more recent attendance trends, highlighting teams with recent successes and declines.
Some quick thoughts:
- Florida and Washington continue their upward trends. Winning streaks tend to attract more fans, and a strong on-ice performance is often reflected in attendance numbers. Alex Ovechkin closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record and, in the Panthers’ case, winning the Stanley Cup last season certainly don’t hurt.
- Winnipeg’s growth has slowed since the last update, primarily due to a lower baseline attendance at the start of the 2023-24 season. While the Jets are not selling out games, their average attendance during this period last season was higher, making it more challenging to achieve significant gains.
- Detroit’s attendance has shifted from a 2.7 percent increase in the last update to a 1.4 percent decline. However, considering the team’s coaching change and turnaround occurred in late December, it’s possible that attendance will rebound over the final stretch of the season, as on-ice performance and attendance often lag behind each other.
- Columbus experienced three games with unusually low attendance in January. Weather challenges and the distraction of Ohio State’s football success may have contributed to these lower numbers.
Month-by-month view
Here’s a breakdown of each team’s attendance by month for the current season.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, insights, or observations about the attendance figures.
This section was originally posted on Jan 10.
Early January update
The NHL has just passed the midpoint of the 2024-25 season, making it a great time to check in on attendance across the league. Overall, the NHL continues to experience growth in attendance, with numbers increasing since the last check-in at the quarter mark. As of Jan. 10, the league-wide average attendance stands at 17,443—its highest average at this point in the season since 2012-13.
On a team-by-team basis, here’s how each team’s attendance has changed compared to last season through the same number of games.
A few notable changes have occurred since the Quarter 1 check-in.
- Winnipeg continues to see the largest percentage increase in attendance, though the growth has tapered from 15.9 percent at the quarter mark to 11.4 percent. While attendance has risen since the first quarter, the smaller percentage increase reflects higher attendance during the second quarter of last season, which limits the possible year-over-year growth.
- Chicago has experienced a recent surge in attendance. The Blackhawks now hold the second-highest season-over-season increase. At the quarter mark, they were down 1.4 percent, but they have rebounded to a +5.0 percent increase.
- Minnesota and St. Louis remain down season-over-season, but both teams have narrowed their declines compared to November. If this trend continues, they could see positive attendance growth by the end of the season.
- Columbus has seen attendance gains compared to last season and is now unexpectedly in a playoff spot. The team is playing exciting hockey, bolstered by a strong home record of 14-5-3, which has given fans plenty to cheer about. Their attendance will be worth watching as the season progresses.
Here’s a quarterly breakdown of each team and the changes between quarters.
Let me know if you have any questions and/or theories on any of the changes we are seeing to date.
This section was originally posted on Nov. 19.
First quarter report
As the US Thanksgiving holiday nears, and the NHL season reaches its traditional early benchmark point, it’s an ideal moment to take stock of attendance across the league for the 2024-25 season. Before diving in, I want to provide a couple of disclaimers; attendance figures are based on team-reported numbers, which are defined as tickets distributed, not necessarily the actual number of people in the building. Additionally, the intent here is not to shame any team or fan base. Many factors influence attendance, including team performance, ticket prices, day of the week, and even weather.
Having examined attendance trends for years, I’ve observed that most teams experience some cyclical patterns, and all teams are capable of strong attendance. For context, at one point, the “Phoenix” Coyotes had stronger attendance than the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins, just to name a few.
Let’s get into it.
Average league attendance
The league’s average attendance through this point in the season is up 1.5 percent compared to last season, now sitting at 17,225. This marks the highest average attendance for this stage of the season since 2016-17. Much of this growth is driven by the Arizona Coyotes’ move to Utah. Last season, the Coyotes played at Arizona State’s 4,600-capacity Mullett Arena. This season, the Utah Hockey Club is playing at the 11,131-capacity Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Other growth areas include Winnipeg, Detroit, and Florida. Here is the attendance change by team compared to the same number of games last season:
With a two-season playoff drought, it’s not surprising to see the Penguins losing fans in attendance. However, I’m a bit surprised to see declines for the Kings and Islanders, especially since both teams made the playoffs last season. Perhaps the novelty of the new arena on Long Island is wearing off.
Sellouts
I’ve noted before that the NHL’s growth in attendance is constrained by the high number of sellouts. Historically, about 50 percent of NHL games sell out. This season, that figure has risen to 62 percent, the second-highest amount ever at this point in the season.
The increase in sellouts is a positive signal for the league’s overall health. Here’s the number of sellouts broken down by team.
It’s somewhat surprising that the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t had a single sellout so far this season. However, they also had no sellouts in their first 15 games last season. Given that they haven’t made the playoffs in four seasons, perhaps this isn’t entirely unexpected.
Game-by-game NHL attendance trends
Here’s a detailed look at each team and how this season compares to the same point last season:
Notable observations
- The Kings’ attendance dip appears to be limited to Games 2 and 3 of the season, so we might expect a recovery as the year progresses.
- With the Winnipeg Jets’ strong start, their attendance growth seems likely to hold steady.
- Although the data doesn’t clearly reflect it yet, the Sharks have significant potential for attendance growth as fans may flock to see Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
- The Penguins’ rough start could lead to further declines in attendance as the season progresses.
- After not selling out Games 2 through 8, the Washington Capitals have sold-out their last two games.
Seasonality note
It’s also worth mentioning that October and November typically see the lowest attendance numbers of the season, so we should expect some increases as the season rolls on.
This analysis is relatively simple and doesn’t account for many contextual factors (e.g., ticket pricing, competing sporting events, or entertainment options). If you have any questions or insights into what might be driving attendance trends, feel free to share!