Image Credit: NC National Guard (CC BY-ND 2.0)
The 2011-2012 NHL season would mark the return of the Winnipeg Jets to Canada due to the team's struggling attendances in Atlanta as the Atlanta Thrashers. The Los Angeles Kings made their 2nd ever trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games. The popularity of the annual Winter Classic also continued to explode with the Flyers taking on the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Here is how the 2011-2012 attendances shaped up for each of the 30 NHL teams.
|
Venue/Team |
Total Season Attendance |
Avg. Nightly Attendance |
Percentage of Capacity |
|
1. United Center (Blackhawks) |
882874 |
21533 |
105.00% |
|
2. Bell Centre (Canadiens) |
872193 |
21273 |
100.00% |
|
3. Wells Fargo Center (Flyers) |
837754 |
20433 |
107.4% |
|
4. Joe Louis Arena (Red Wings) |
824706 |
20114 |
100.70% |
|
5. Air Canada Centre (Maple Leafs) |
799786 |
19506 |
103.70% |
|
6. Canadian Tire Centre (Senators) |
793612 |
19356 |
101.10% |
|
7. Scotiabank Saddledome (Flames) |
790849 |
19289 |
100.00% |
|
8. Rogers Arena (Canucks) |
774250 |
18884 |
102.5% |
|
9. Scottrade Center (Blues) |
771207 |
18809 |
98.20% |
|
10. Consol Energy Center (Penguins) |
761224 |
18566 |
102.70% |
|
11. First Niagara Center (Sabres) |
760558 |
18550 |
99.90% |
|
12. Verizon Center (Capitals) |
758746 |
18506 |
101.30% |
|
13. Amalie Arena (Lightning) |
757192 |
18468 |
96.20% |
|
14. Madison Square Garden (Rangers) |
745852 |
18191 |
100.00% |
|
15. Staples Center (Kings) |
734736 |
17920 |
100.00% |
|
16. Xcel Energy Center (Wild) |
728683 |
17772 |
98.40% |
|
17. TD Garden (Bruins) |
720145 |
17564 |
100.00% |
|
18. SAP Center at San Jose (Sharks) |
720076 |
17562 |
100.00% |
|
19. Rexall Place (Oilers) |
690399 |
16839 |
100.00% |
|
20. Bridgestone Arena (Predators) |
684324 |
16690 |
97.50% |
|
21. BB&T Center (Panthers) |
681763 |
16042 |
85.90% |
|
22. PNC Arena (Hurricanes) |
657747 |
16042 |
85.9% |
|
23. Pepsi Center (Avalanche) |
635440 |
15498 |
86.10% |
|
24. Prudential Center (Devils) |
631258 |
15396 |
87.40% |
|
25. MTS Centre (Jets) |
615164 |
15044 |
100.00% |
|
26. Honda Center (Ducks) |
605171 |
14760 |
86.40% |
|
27. Nationwide Arena (Blue Jackets) |
601061 |
14660 |
80.80% |
|
28. American Airlines Center (Stars) |
583306 |
14226 |
76.80% |
|
29. Nassau Coliseum (Islanders) |
540838 |
13191 |
81.30% |
|
30. Jobing.com Arena (Coyotes) |
509241 |
12420 |
72.50% |
16 of the 30 NHL franchises sold out every home during the 2011-2012 season; more than half of the league. The Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes and New York Islanders once again finished at the bottom in overall league attendance. Look for the New York Islanders attendance numbers to increase significantly when they move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY next season. For the 4th straight season, the Chicago Blackhawks led the entire league in attendance. The top 6 franchise leaders in attendance for the 2010-2011 season finished in identical order for the 2011-2012 season as well. The largest increase in attendance belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning who went from 18th in attendance in 2010-2011 to 13th in attendance during their 2011-2012 campaign.
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