2023-10-20 20:01:18
Several National Hockey League teams are dealing with a rather worrying problem this season: fewer and fewer spectators are coming to games.
The renowned journalist Frank Seravalli delivered a revealing account of the situation during a live broadcast on the Daily Faceoff platform. Even in a big market like Washington, it becomes difficult to fill all the seats.
“I would say that there are a lot of worrying elements,” he noted. The Washington Capitals’ sellout streak ended at 588. It’s something to take seriously, their arena was full for the opening game and the next game, only 16,489 spectators.
The Winnipeg Jets played in front of their smallest crowd since their return to Manitoba on Tuesday evening against the Los Angeles Kings. The Jets did not play to a sold-out crowd in their opening game, just like the Calgary Flames.
And teams that played to a sold-out crowd saw the excitement quickly fade afterward. The Buffalo Sabers filled their arena for their home opener, but the next game saw only 10,000 spectators. The same phenomenon was observed among the San Jose Sharks.
In an inflationary context, has going to a hockey game become an unaffordable activity for middle-class families?
“It’s difficult,” admitted Seravalli. That’s a lot of money for a family to go to a game. Even if we’re talking about a pair of tickets, you’re spending almost $500 with parking, food, drinks and everything else. I don’t know how many times people can afford it in a season, and we haven’t even talked about season tickets.”
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