The NHL has officially set a new regular season attendance record for the 2024-25 season. A whopping 23,014,458 fans took in 1,312 games among the 32 clubs, representing a 96.9 percent capacity at their respective venues.
The NHL Passed the 23 Million Fan Attendance Mark for the First Time
For the first time in its history, the League reached the 23 million fan mark, making the official announcement on its X account, detailing the numbers.
Fans expressed their excitement on X, noting that they were first-time hockey spectators and were happy to see the game grow.
One Vegas Golden Knights fan said, “Best sports I have ever watched. It’s fast-pace and embodies of pure skills on ice. Thanks to the emergence of #VegasBorn, who shifted my interest on sports. Now, I can’t go back watching NFL. Lol.”
Another fan explained what drew him to watch games this season: “I am a new hockey fan, 🫡 I’ve watched mostly every game this past week. Seeing history being made, I had to get into the sport.”
A New York Islanders fan applauded the record, saying, “Growing the game let’s gooo!”
This Chicago Blackhawks fan agreed, saying, “What you love to see. Greatest sport in the world💪🏻”
Another fan was hopeful for the growth of the NHL and hockey, explaining, “That’s actually awesome. Maybe the game is growing. Keep it going.”
This fan credited Washington Capitals wing Alexander Ovechkin’s chase for the all-time goals record, replying, “You can thank the great 8!!!”
Now that the regular season has come to a close, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived. The Florida Panthers will attempt to defend their championship and make a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, while several clubs are back in the postseason for the first time in years.
The game of hockey continues to grow under Commissioner Gary Bettman’s leadership despite continued harsh criticism from fans.
The largest crowd of the season was more than 94,000 spectators at Ohio Stadium (home of the NCAA’s Ohio State Buckeyes) in Columbus on March 1 as part of the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game between the host Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings.
Additionally, the Utah Hockey Club played its inaugural season at Delta Center and sold out every game; despite being the lowest capacity in the NHL (just over 11,000 fans), it was twice the amount of fans that could take in a game at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University, the home of the Arizona Coyotes for their final two seasons in the desert.
The Utah Hockey Club, which has yet to decide on an official nickname, is reportedly working on increasing the capacity at its venue so that even more fans in Salt Lake City can attend.
The Montreal Canadiens led all teams in total attendance by selling every ticket (21,105) for each of their 41 home games at Bell Centre for 865,305 fans.
The chase by Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to tie and eventually surpass Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals (which did did earlier this month) also helped increase interest in the League.
Additionally, the highly successful Four Nations Face-Off tournament in late February (played instead of a traditional All-Star skills competition and game) helped generate even higher interest in the sport in terms of increased television ratings.
