CHL Sets New Regular Season Attendance Record

The Canadian Hockey League has set a regular season attendance record for the 17th consecutive year, with all three CHL leagues enjoying attendance growth during the 2001-2002 regular season.

For the first time in CHL history, total regular season attendance has hit the seven million mark. The three CHL leagues had a combined regular season attendance of 7,002,364. Last year’s total was 6,616,203, for a 9.4 percentage increase. A total of 396,161 more fans took in games this season in the CHL as compared to last year.

Each year for the past 17 seasons, total CHL regular season attendance has increased. The last time CHL regular season attendance dropped year-over-year was back in 1984-85.

Leading the way this season was the Western Hockey League, which set an all-time attendance record by attracting 2,957,386 fans. That breaks the mark set last year of 2,728,169, as 229,217 more fans took in WHL games than was the case in 2000-2001.

The Ontario Hockey League also set a league attendance record as well, with 2,324,331 fans attending regular season games in 2001-2002, up from last season’s total of 2,219,935, an increase of 114,396 fans.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League also enjoyed growth. In 2001-2002, 1,720,647 fans took in Quebec league games, up from last season’s total of 1,668,099, an increase of 52,548. That total is the second highest regular season attendance total in QMJHL history.

Those figures do not include playoff games, with more than one million additional fans expected to attend post-season games in 2001-2002. The CHL will announce a combined regular season and playoff attendance figure for 2001-2002 at the end of the CHL playoffs.