NHL Breaks Attendance Record for Third Straight Season

The NHL playoffs begin Saturday after a third consecutive regular season of leaguewide record attendance.

This season, total crowds at NHL games topped the 23 million mark for the first time. Here are the last three seasonal marks:

• 2024–2025: 23,014,458
• 2023–2024: 22,873,142
• 2022–2023: 22,436,532

While the Canadiens, who sold out every home game at the 21,105-seat Bell Centre in Montreal, led NHL teams in average attendance, the league as a whole benefited from its continued push to play at alternative venues.

In addition to the 32 NHL home arenas, games were also played at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia and Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland (Global Series); Wrigley Field in Chicago (Winter Classic); and Ohio Stadium in Columbus (Stadium Series). 

The March 1 Blue Jackets–Red Wings contest at the home of the Buckeyes football team drew the second-largest crowd in NHL history: 94,751 fans.

Not included in the record attendance numbers is the wildly successful inaugural edition of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which drew 135,977 across seven games in Montreal and Boston. 

Canada in the Spotlight

Off the ice, U.S. TV ratings this postseason could be at risk of taking a hit, as the five Canadian teams in the playoffs—the Maple Leafs, Senators, Canadiens, Jets, and Oilers—represent the most from the country in 2017.

Final viewership figures for the NHL’s regular season have not been released. Last season, NHL games on ESPN and TNT Sports platforms averaged 504,000 viewers.