Sure it still has its desert dogs and other problem childs, but the fact is, next to the NFL, the NHL has more franchises playing to full or near capacity than any other major league in North American sport.
Only two of Major League Baseball's 30 clubs sold out their games in 2009 (the Boston Red Sox of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League). That's seven per cent. Sellouts are the norm at only two of Major League Soccer's 16 franchises (Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC) or 12.5%. In the NBA, it's 15% (five of 30 teams).
The NFL had 28 of 32 clubs -- or 87.5% -- selling enough tickets to avoid television blackouts throughout 2009.
In the NHL, a third of its teams (10 of 30) are selling out every night. It's over half (17 of 30) when you include those virtually selling out (98% capacity or more).
There are five-year plus consecutive home game sellout streaks at five of six franchises in Canada and multiple-year streaks in northern U.S. markets such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington. Throw in near capacity sales at Boston, downtown New York (where the Rangers ended a 187-game sellout streak in February), Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, St. Louis and San Jose (where the Sharks have been virtually sold out all year).
Almost two-thirds of the league plays before sellouts or crowds of more than 18,000 fans. Less than half of its direct competitors in NBA arenas can say the same.
The NHL has more teams among the top-20 North American active home game sellout streaks (seven) than any league except the NFL (11). The NBA and Major League Baseball have only one team each in that top-20 club (the Dallas Mavericks and the Red Sox).
http://www.teamradio.ca/news/story/?id=2917
The NHL also has seven of the top-20 all-time sellout record holders, more than the NBA (six), NFL (five) and MLB (two).
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Stoking+coals+hockey+hotbed/2760498/story.html
What's more, the NHL can boast those sellout streaks despite the most stringent sellout standards in the industry. Top-selling NFL teams benefit from the league's rather liberal definition of a sellout: it does not require that all luxury suites or club seats in its respective stadiums are sold out. Selling out the non-premium tickets does the trick and lifts the NFL television blackout.
Heading into the last week of the regular season, average attendance of 17,475 is good news for the NHL (and outshines the NBA by about 500 tickets per game or 600,000 fans per season league-wide). Imagine the brand equity the league would carry, on both sides of the border, if only it could find solutions for the weak links it has in some of the NHL's southern markets.
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