The annual study of the country’s best hockey towns ranks 118 cities and towns with NHL, AHL, ECHL or NCAA Division I men’s hockey teams. The study compared each of these places based on their fan intensity and quality of life. Specifically, the study focused on metrics like the average game attendance as a percentage of stadium capacity and per-game attendance as a percentage of the total population in each hockey town.
The study also considered local crime rates, unemployment rates, median household income, median monthly housing costs and Google search traffic for the term “hockey.” To learn more about how we conducted our study, read the methodology and data sections below.
From the study:
Attendance at Hershey Bears’ men’s hockey games averages 60% of Hershey’s entire population. That means it has the second-highest per capita attendance rate in our analysis. More than 8,700 fans attend each home game, on average, filling the Bears’ stadium to 83% capacity.
To say that Hershey Bears fans are loyal is an understatement. But that level of support is well-deserved. The Bears have won more championships than any other team in the AHL. While they didn’t win the Calder Cup last year, they finished out the season by making it into the finals.
Read study here:
By Jon Sorensen
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