NHL attendance is relatively flat heading into this weekend's All-Star break. Teams are averaging 17,417 fans per game, compared to 17,460 during the same period last season, when the league did not have an All-Star Game due to the Sochi Games. The Canadiens lead all Eastern Conference teams with 21,287 fans per game, continuing the club's sellout streak at Bell Centre and ranking second among all teams in the NHL. The Blue Jackets, who host the ASG this year, are seeing a 14% increase in average attendance at Nationwide Arena, the largest increase among all Eastern Conference teams. The Panthers are down an NHL-worst 27% to date, while the Hurricanes are down 18% in Raleigh. See tomorrow's issue for Western Conference figures (THE DAILY).
|
NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE THROUGH JAN. 21
|
| TEAM |
GAMES
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
% CAP.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
GMS ('13-14)
|
| Canadiens |
22
|
468,310
|
21,287
|
100.1%
|
21,273
|
0.1%
|
25
|
| Red Wings* |
26
|
520,702
|
20,027
|
100.0%
|
20,066
|
-0.2%
|
25
|
| Flyers |
22
|
434,204
|
19,737
|
101.0%
|
19,795
|
-0.3%
|
22
|
| Maple Leafs |
25
|
478,147
|
19,126
|
101.6%
|
19,363
|
-1.2%
|
28
|
| Lightning |
24
|
447,055
|
18,627
|
97.0%
|
18,439
|
1.0%
|
23
|
| Penguins |
26
|
484,009
|
18,616
|
101.2%
|
18,603
|
0.1%
|
24
|
| Capitals^ |
22
|
407,132
|
18,506
|
100.0%
|
18,506
|
0.0%
|
27
|
| Sabres |
25
|
457,972
|
18,319
|
96.1%
|
18,449
|
-0.7%
|
27
|
| Senators |
20
|
365,454
|
18,273
|
95.4%
|
17,876
|
2.2%
|
27
|
| Rangers |
23
|
414,138
|
18,006
|
100.0%
|
18,006
|
0.0%
|
27
|
| Bruins |
26
|
456,690
|
17,565
|
100.0%
|
17,565
|
0.0%
|
26
|
| Blue Jackets |
23
|
359,065
|
15,612
|
86.0%
|
13,735
|
13.7%
|
24
|
| Devils* |
20
|
305,946
|
15,297
|
92.2%
|
14,485
|
5.6%
|
23
|
| Islanders* |
20
|
292,743
|
14,637
|
90.5%
|
13,569
|
7.9%
|
24
|
| Hurricanes |
21
|
267,224
|
12,725
|
68.1%
|
15,458
|
-17.7%
|
26
|
| Panthers |
20
|
214,224
|
10,711
|
68.1%
|
14,604
|
-26.7%
|
24
|
| E.C. TOTALS |
365
|
6,373,015
|
17,460
|
94.5%
|
17,527
|
-0.4%
|
402
|
| NHL TOTALS |
697
|
12,139,609
|
17,417
|
95.7%
|
17,327
|
0.5%
|
753
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTES: All attendance figures for outdoor games have been replaced with team's home arena capacity. * = Hosted either the NHL Winter Classic, Heritage Classic or a Coors Light Stadium Series game last season. ^ = Hosted the Winter Classic this season.
