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NHL Sets Record For Total Regular-Season Attendance, But Average Crowds Down 2%

The NHL drew a record number of fans to its games during the '13-14 regular season, but the average crowd per game was down slightly from the lockout-shortened '12-13 season. A total of 21,492,671 fans came through the turnstiles this season, topping the previous single-season high of 21,475,223 set in '08-09. However, the average of 17,474 fans per game during the season was down nearly 2% from last year, when each team only played 48 games. There were sharp declines for the Devils and Hurricanes, while Panthers games at BB&T Center saw the biggest drop. The team averaged 14,525 fans per game, down a league-high 14.5% from last season. The Coyotes fell below the Islanders for the lowest mark in the league with 13,776 fans per game. Leading the league for the sixth straight season were the Blackhawks, whose average of 21,569 was down slightly, but still enough to pack United Center at 109% of listed capacity. The Avalanche had the biggest season-over-season gain at the gate, up around 5.5% at Pepsi Center (THE DAILY).

'13-14 NHL REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
HOME TEAM
GAMES
TOTAL
AVG.
% CAP.
PREV.
% +/-
GAMES
('12-13)
Blackhawks*
41
884,341
21,569
109.4%
21,776
-0.9%
24
Canadiens
41
872,193
21,273
100.0%
21,273
0.0%
24
Red Wings*
41
822,706
20,066
100.0%
20,066
0.0%
24
Flyers
41
813,411
19,839
101.5%
19,787
0.3%
24
Maple Leafs
41
797,310
19,447
103.3%
19,426
0.1%
24
Flames
41
791,389
19,302
100.1%
19,289
0.1%
24
Canucks*
41
775,310
18,910
100.0%
18,948
-0.2%
24
Penguins
41
763,344
18,618
101.3%
18,648
-0.2%
24
Lightning
41
763,096
18,612
96.9%
19,056
-2.3%
24
Sabres
41
761,767
18,580
97.4%
18,970
-2.1%
24
Capitals
41
758,746
18,506
100.0%
18,506
0.0%
24
Wild
41
758,729
18,506
103.1%
18,795
-1.5%
24
Kings*
41
743,753
18,140
100.1%
18,179
-0.2%
24
Senators
41
742,468
18,109
94.5%
19,408
-6.7%
24
Rangers**
41
738,246
18,006
100.0%
17,200
4.7%
24
Bruins
41
720,165
17,565
100.0%
17,565
0.0%
24
Sharks
41
720,042
17,562
100.0%
17,562
0.0%
24
Blues
41
717,433
17,498
91.4%
17,901
-2.3%
24
Oilers
41
690,399
16,839
100.0%
16,839
0.0%
24
Predators
41
680,619
16,600
97.0%
16,974
-2.2%
24
Ducks
41
675,248
16,469
95.9%
15,888
3.7%
24
Avalanche
41
668,133
16,296
90.5%
15,445
5.5%
24
Hurricanes
41
634,832
15,484
82.9%
17,560
-11.8%
24
Stars
41
632,273
15,421
83.2%
17,063
-9.6%
24
Devils*
41
618,105
15,076
85.5%
17,114
-11.9%
24
Jets
41
615,164
15,004
100.0%
15,004
0.0%
24
Blue Jackets
41
602,619
14,698
81.0%
14,565
0.9%
24
Panthers
41
595,527
14,525
85.2%
16,992
-14.5%
24
Islanders*
41
570,505
13,915
86.1%
13,307
4.6%
24
Coyotes
41
564,798
13,776
80.4%
13,924
-1.1%
24
NHL TOTALS
1,230
21,492,671
17,474
95.7%
17,768
-1.7%
720
NOTES: For the '12-13 regular season, teams played a 48-game schedule that began on January 19, 2013. No games were played this season between Feb. 9-25 (Sochi Olympics). * = Hosted either '14 NHL Winter Classic, Heritage Classic or Coors Light Stadium Series game. All attendance figures have been replaced with team's home arena capacity. ** = Renovation at Madison Square Garden increased capacity from 17,200 to 18,006 this season.

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