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Le Grande Orange · 10-29-2011, 01:32 AM

The prospect of this game has gotten me to dig into hockey-related league subjects the last few days (a change from the usual baseball-related research). I came across regular season and playoff attendance data in an old copy of an NHL Official Guide & Record Book I had buried in a stack of other books.

I offer the following as a (hopefully interesting) FYI. It is the per game average attendance at NHL regular season and playoff games from 1960-61 to 1992-93.

Code:

NHL Per Game Average Attendance

          Regular
Year      Season   Playoffs
---------------------------
1960-61   11,034   14,235
1961-62   11,597   15,389
1962-63   12,336   13,807
1963-64   13,013   14,721
1964-65   13,441   15,193
1965-66   14,006   15,563
1966-67   14,689   15,521
1967-68*  11,122   12,377
1968-69   12,172   13,083
1969-70   13,140   13,579
1970-71*  13,292   16,457
1971-72   13,937   16,185
1972-73*  13,743   16,438
1973-74   13,848   15,801
1974-75*  13,224   15,376
1975-76   12,644   15,131
1976-77   11,894   14,688
1977-78   11,842   15,259
1978-79   11,409   15,434
1979-80*  12,540   15,503
1980-81   12,769   14,212
1981-82   12,751   14,915
1982-83   13,120   16,488
1983-84   13,523   15,820
1984-85   13,850   15,821
1985-86   13,835   16,007
1986-87   14,114   15,908
1987-88   14,426   16,107
1988-89   14,783   15,991
1989-90   14,976   15,948
1990-91   14,695   15,676
1991-92*  14,511   15,441
1992-93*  14,046   16,217

*Expansion years

Some intriguing results in the above. Attendance at NHL regular season games was increasing at a rate of about 5% per year throughout the "Original Six" 1960s seasons—up until the first big expansion year. Then the per game average fell off dramatically (though of course total attendance was naturally higher due to the six extra teams). Thereafter the per game average attendance struggled to reach the peak it had hit just before the first big expansion exercise. In fact, it wasn't until the 1988-89 season that the per game average attendance at regular season NHL games finally surpassed the average that had been reached in 1966-67, some twenty-two years earlier.

10-29-2011, 01:32 AM	#218
Le Grande Orange Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Up There Posts: 15,642	The prospect of this game has gotten me to dig into hockey-related league subjects the last few days (a change from the usual baseball-related research). I came across regular season and playoff attendance data in an old copy of an NHL Official Guide & Record Book I had buried in a stack of other books. I offer the following as a (hopefully interesting) FYI. It is the per game average attendance at NHL regular season and playoff games from 1960-61 to 1992-93. Code: NHL Per Game Average Attendance Regular Year Season Playoffs --------------------------- 1960-61 11,034 14,235 1961-62 11,597 15,389 1962-63 12,336 13,807 1963-64 13,013 14,721 1964-65 13,441 15,193 1965-66 14,006 15,563 1966-67 14,689 15,521 1967-68* 11,122 12,377 1968-69 12,172 13,083 1969-70 13,140 13,579 1970-71* 13,292 16,457 1971-72 13,937 16,185 1972-73* 13,743 16,438 1973-74 13,848 15,801 1974-75* 13,224 15,376 1975-76 12,644 15,131 1976-77 11,894 14,688 1977-78 11,842 15,259 1978-79 11,409 15,434 1979-80* 12,540 15,503 1980-81 12,769 14,212 1981-82 12,751 14,915 1982-83 13,120 16,488 1983-84 13,523 15,820 1984-85 13,850 15,821 1985-86 13,835 16,007 1986-87 14,114 15,908 1987-88 14,426 16,107 1988-89 14,783 15,991 1989-90 14,976 15,948 1990-91 14,695 15,676 1991-92* 14,511 15,441 1992-93* 14,046 16,217 *Expansion years Some intriguing results in the above. Attendance at NHL regular season games was increasing at a rate of about 5% per year throughout the "Original Six" 1960s seasons—up until the first big expansion year. Then the per game average fell off dramatically (though of course total attendance was naturally higher due to the six extra teams). Thereafter the per game average attendance struggled to reach the peak it had hit just before the first big expansion exercise. In fact, it wasn't until the 1988-89 season that the per game average attendance at regular season NHL games finally surpassed the average that had been reached in 1966-67, some twenty-two years earlier.