2021’s Best Cities for Hockey Fans & Stanley Cup Facts

When the pandemic hit every aspect of life as we knew it changed including sports that came to a screeching halt. The NHL missed out on almost $3.6 billion in revenue this season from ticket sales and in-arena purchases because of attendance restrictions.

With the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals in full gear but the NHL facing $2.5 billion in potential revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021's Best Cities for Hockey Fans along with its Stanley Cup Facts infographic.

To determine the best places for hockey spectators, they compared 73 U.S. cities based on two divisional categories, professional and college hockey, across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from the performance level of the city’s teams to minimum season ticket prices to stadium capacity.

Best vs. Worst

• The Tampa Bay Lightning’s performance level, 67.63 percent, is two times better than that of the Detroit Red Wings, at 33.18 percent.
• The Minnesota State Mavericks’ performance level, 76.76 percent, is 7.3 times better than that of the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, at 10.57 percent.
• Sunrise, Florida, has the lowest average ticket price for an NHL game, $37.19, which is 2.9 times lower than in Chicago, the city with the highest at $109.23.
• Dallas has the highest attendance rate for NHL games, 113.00 percent, which is 1.4 times higher than in Sunrise, Florida, the city with the lowest at 82.80 percent.
• Chicago and New York have the highest team franchise value, $1.085 billion, which is 3.8 times higher than in Glendale, Arizona, the city with the lowest at $285 million.

Expert Commentary

What are the biggest challenges facing the business of professional hockey today?

“The biggest challenge facing the NHL today is getting fans back into the buildings as the pandemic hopefully ends. The NHL is a league that depends very much on ticket sales for its revenue.”

Chris Glionna, Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach – Suffolk University

“Talent and fan pipeline, expensive sport with very low social diversity (really only played widely in a few countries and a few areas of the US). Youth who play the game become future fans/consumers of the game.”

Wade Gilbert, PhD, Professor, California State University – Fresno

Do you have any tips for how hockey fans can enjoy the sport without breaking the bank?

“If you live in the Miami area, Arizona, the Carolinas, or in Anaheim, you are lucky: tickets for Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, the Carolina Hurricanes, or the Anaheim Ducks are cheap already. If you do not live in these areas, what can you do? Watch it on TV instead of going to the game. Most local cable packages carry NHL games. If you do not have cable, you can illegally stream the games (I do not condone this option). If you really like watching live hockey but refuse to shell out for NHL tickets, go see either a minor league (AHL or ECHL), junior league (OHL, QMJHL, WHL), or go to a college game (applies mainly to the Northeast and the upper Midwest). These options are very affordable with tickets often costing as low as $10.’

Peter Smolianov, PhD, Professor, Salem State University

“Support local hockey. The game is exciting at all levels. Go to minor league games, go to college club games. It may be a while to return to pre-COVID practices, but some teams have open practice times for fans to watch as well. Expand beyond watching just the local pro team, seek to be a fan of the game, not just the team, and far more games will be accessible online and through other outlets.”

Kristen D. Dieffenbach, PhD, Associate Professor, West Virginia University

How has the pandemic impacted the hockey industry?

“Like all parts of the entertainment industry, the pandemic has really hurt the hockey industry. However, as we are starting to move out of the strict restrictions on gatherings, I think we are going to see a lot of pent-up demand by fans wanting to be together cheering on their team. Under normal circumstances sport acts as a way for many people to forget about their everyday life and become immersed as a fan. Sport is a distraction from the stressors in life. It is no secret the pandemic has added stress to many people’s lives, and I think this will only add to people looking for ways to be distracted and hopefully the 2021 NHL Playoffs will be up for this task.”

Greg Greenhalgh, PhD, Visiting Instructor, University of South Florida

“The pandemic impacted the hockey industry in the same way as other professional sports leagues in that the NHL was not able to offer its in-arena product to the fans. This likely led to many fans not following the sport as closely, if at all. Moving forward, however, I believe that professional hockey is poised for a resurgence, especially after the announcement of its new media rights deal with ESPN.”

Alex Traugutt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sports Management, Fontbonne University

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-hockey-fans/13283

Courtesy: WalletHub