(New York) The NHL said Tuesday it had set a single-season attendance record with more than 22.5 million spectators.
The league said the new mark of 22,560,634 spectators was established with 18 games remaining in the season, specifying that the arenas and stadiums used were occupied at 97% capacity. The season ends Thursday and the playoffs begin on Saturday.
The previous record was 22,436,532, set last season. This is the third season contested by 32 teams.
Nearly 80,000 people watched the Rangers and New York Islanders play at MetLife Stadium in February, making it the largest crowd in the NHL’s 106-year history.
The Winter Classic, played at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the Heritage Classic, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and the Global Series games, at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, also helped establish this mark.
The season is expected to bring revenues of nearly US$6.2 billion to the league.