NHL attendance saw a 3.5% increase in the '18-19 regular season, as games averaged 17,456 fans, up from 16,864 last year. The Blackhawks continued to lead all teams with a 22,734 average, up 5% from 21,654 last season despite missing the playoffs for the second straight year. While their averages are still in the bottom 10 of the league, the Avalanche (+9.9%), Hurricanes (+7.5%) and Coyotes (+7.3%) all saw big increases. The Avalanche qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season, while the Hurricanes are making their first appearance in 10 years. The Coyotes were in the mix to end a 7-year drought until late in the season. The Islanders had the league's smallest average attendance (12,443), with games split between Barclays Center (20) and Nassau Coliseum (21). The Coliseum's capacity for hockey is 13,900, while Barclays Center's is 15,795.
NHL REGULAR SEASON ATTENDANCE (41 HOME GAMES) |
TEAM |
TOTAL |
AVG. |
% CAP. |
PREV. |
% +/- |
Blackhawks^ |
932,098 |
22,734 |
107.8% |
21,654 |
5.0% |
Canadiens |
862,914 |
21,047 |
98.8% |
21,300 |
-1.2% |
Flyers |
835,242 |
20,372 |
99.2% |
19,517 |
4.4% |
Maple Leafs |
790,316 |
19,276 |
102.4% |
19,187 |
0.5% |
Red Wings |
783,958 |
19,121 |
98.0% |
19,515 |
-2.0% |
Lightning |
782,772 |
19,092 |
100.0% |
19,092 |
0.0% |
Wild |
775,216 |
18,908 |
105.3% |
19,037 |
-0.7% |
Penguins |
761,203 |
18,566 |
101.0% |
18,580 |
-0.1% |
Capitals |
758,845 |
18,508 |
100.0% |
18,775 |
-1.4% |
Flames |
758,550 |
18,501 |
95.9% |
18,905 |
-2.1% |
Oilers^^ |
752,227 |
18,347 |
100.0% |
18,347 |
0.0% |
Golden Knights |
751,067 |
18,319 |
105.5% |
18,042 |
1.5% |
Stars |
745,314 |
18,178 |
98.1% |
18,110 |
0.4% |
Canucks |
738,918 |
18,022 |
95.5% |
18,079 |
-0.3% |
Kings |
738,029 |
18,001 |
98.7% |
18,240 |
-1.3% |
Sabres^ |
734,238 |
17,908 |
93.9% |
18,564 |
-3.5% |
Bruins |
720,165 |
17,565 |
100.0% |
17,565 |
0.0% |
Predators |
715,276 |
17,446 |
101.7% |
17,307 |
0.8% |
Blues |
711,823 |
17,362 |
94.4% |
18,357 |
-5.4% |
Rangers |
710,074 |
17,319 |
96.2% |
17,851 |
-3.0% |
Sharks |
707,909 |
17,266 |
98.3% |
17,366 |
-0.6% |
Avalanche* |
702,446 |
17,133 |
96.2% |
15,587 |
9.9% |
Ducks |
689,385 |
16,814 |
97.9% |
16,636 |
1.1% |
Blue Jackets |
682,984 |
16,658 |
91.8% |
16,659 |
0.0% |
Jets* |
626,330 |
15,276 |
100.2% |
15,321 |
-0.3% |
Devils^^ |
608,210 |
14,834 |
90.4% |
15,201 |
-2.4% |
Senators*, ** |
596,684 |
14,553 |
78.1% |
15,829 |
-8.1% |
Hurricanes |
587,222 |
14,322 |
76.7% |
13,321 |
7.5% |
Coyotes |
573,552 |
13,989 |
81.7% |
13,041 |
7.3% |
Panthers* |
543,734 |
13,262 |
68.5% |
13,851 |
-4.3% |
Islanders |
510,150 |
12,443 |
83.9% |
12,002 |
3.7% |
| NHL TOTALS |
22,186,851 |
17,456 |
98.5% |
16,864 |
3.5% |
| NOTES: ^ = The Blackhawks hosted the '19 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN (attendance: 76,126). The Sabres hosted last season's game at Citi Field (41,821). ^^ = The Devils home game against the Oilers at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden drew 12,044 as part of the SAP NHL Global Series. * = The Panthers and Jets each hosted a sold-out home game at the 13,490-seat Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the SAP NHL Global Series. The previous season the Avalanche and Senators each hosted a sold-out home game at the 13,396-seat Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. ** = The Senators hosted the Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic at Lansdowne Park (33,959) last season. |
