The Carolina Hurricanes have seen their attendance skyrocket these last few games. Just how much of a difference did a single playoff berth make?
The Carolina Hurricanes are now halfway through the season with 50 points. That puts them on pace for a 100 point season and a playoff berth for the second season in a row. They have improved immensely from last season at this point where they were sitting well out of a playoff spot and had to surge back to get in. But that isn’t the most impressive improvement stat this season.
No, the most impressive stat improvement is their attendance. The Carolina Hurricanes through 19 home games have an average attendance of 16,428 which places them 22nd in the league. That is an improvement of 2,106 per game over the 14,322 average attendance from a year ago. This is mostly thanks to the six sellouts in those 19 home games.
Not counting the playoffs the Carolina Hurricanes have not had more than five sellouts in the last five seasons. There is more to this average attendance of the Hurricanes that will likely climb as the next few home games in this stand may or may not include a few more sellouts. The last three home games were sellouts. There are still another three games at home for the Hurricanes.
What is more impressive about this attendance is the fact that we have a higher average attendance than two Canadian teams. Granted, one is the Winnipeg Jets which, while their average is only 16,151, is selling out their arena along with their standing room only areas each and every night.
The other team on the other hand is the Ottawa Senators which is sitting at the bottom of the league at 11,617. That can be attributed to how awful the team has been in recent year, proving that terrible performance can put a dent into ANY team’s attendance and that attendance should not be a measurement of a team’s fanbase or their dedication.
The Hurricanes are also outselling three other Metro teams, putting them in fifth place in the division with the opportunity to outtake another rival, the New York Rangers, if the average rises only by another 758.
But what does this all mean?
It simply means that Hockey in North Carolina is here to stay. The fanbase is growing and the Carolina Hurricanes are quickly fixing a decade’s worth of missing the playoffs. Honestly the most impressive part of this is the fact that it only took a single playoff berth to bring the hoards of fans back to recreate the loudest house in the NHL. Better late than never.
But this attendance is only a reflection of other ways the sport of hockey has grown in Carolina. The first goal program has seen high increases in attendance as youth hockey has also blown up across the state. The new practice facility will afford young and adult players new sheets of ice to play and practice on. Even the ladies are getting in on this resurgence:
In honor of the @Canes Military Appreciation game on Jan. 19th, we’re hosting our first Women’s Try Hockey for Free Clinic on Jan. 18th at Fort Bragg!
— Alyssa (Gagliardi) Sleasman (@AGagliardi92) January 2, 2020
The 75-min clinic is open to women of all skill & skating levels. Beginners welcome!
Register at: https://t.co/nalMXFVXez pic.twitter.com/G1fPHGbhFv
Alyssa Gagliardi, former NWHL player with the Boston Pride, was named the Carolina Hurricanes Girls and Women’s Youth and Amateur Hockey Specialist and has wasted no time in opening up the first clinic of the season down at Cleland Ice down at Fort Bragg.
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Cleland ice gets a lot of use between local members of the community and Military Service members skating there almost daily between youth hockey, sled hockey, and pick up games. I can be caught skating down in pick up games from time to time. Its decent ice in a small barn. Recently the number of skaters has also grown, representative of how hockey has grown in the region.
The growth of attendance in Carolina should be a point of pride for all caniacs across the states and outside of it, but the bigger story here is the growth of hockey here. This is not just a win for the Carolina Hurricanes. This is a win for hockey, both here in the Carolinas and in general all over the nation.
Question for CC readers: How high can the Carolina Hurricanes reach for this season? What about next season?