Apr 5, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues salute their fans and celebrate after the Blues won their franchise record 12th straight win after a victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

NHL Sets Regular-Season Attendance Record

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 10:00 AM ET

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, the NHL is celebrating their regular-season success. Shortly after the regular season concluded, the league announced outstanding attendance numbers for another year. Over the 1,312-game schedule this year, the attendance number surpassed the 23 million mark, setting a new league record.

This is the third year in a row that the NHL has set new attendance records. In 2023 the league brought in just under 22.5 million fans, and improved that number to 22,873,142 last season. This year's attendance figure correlates to 96.9% of arena capacities being filled.

The @NHL sets regular-season attendance record.

Full release: https://t.co/zM4odMvq6p pic.twitter.com/9sFtbAJ8Zd
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 18, 2025

The news from the league confirms that attendance has been tracked all season long. The Athletic released an attendance report with a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season, and it showed that 30 out of 32 franchises were averaging over 90% capacity. Teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Seattle Kraken were averaging 100%. In total, 12 organizations averaged 100% capacity. That demonstrates that the NHL fan base is strong, devoted, and dedicated to their franchises.

The announcement is also another positive sign of the NHL's growth. Over the past year, the league has shared record-breaking revenue numbers, and organizations have hit new heights in overall value. For the first time in NHL history, every franchise was valued at over $1 billion, and two franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers, were valued at over $3 billion.

With the postseason beginning, the attendance is set to continue for the 16 teams still playing. It will be interesting to see if the trend of nearly full capacity holds up as the Stanley Cup Playoffs progress. With markets like Los Angeles, Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto, and Dallas in the mix, the arenas are sure to be full and raucous as the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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