Attendance: Columbus/Detroit Up 5%; Others Drop

The Columbus faithful will be rewarded with the playoffs this spring.

Eleven teams finished up their home games and seasons last night. Atlanta, Buffalo, Calgary, Columbus, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, New Jersey, Phoenix, and Toronto were the teams. Lets take a look at their attendances (click to enlarge):



This group has been the most boring of all so far, with no real shocking numbers. Some thoughts (in alphabetical order):

• The Thrashers are still below their pre-lockout attendance levels.
• Buffalo has made great strides since before the lockout, but I italicized being down 7.11% this season because the reported average for them last year was 19,950. HSBC Arena holds 18,690, and that is what the club has been announcing all season. I don't think they are down that much because of this flaw.
• Calgary has been consistent the past five years, but lets not forget where they were before the lockout.
• Columbus leads the way in this group, and with the team making the playoffs for the first time in their existence, I expect a big bump next season.
• The Devils are up 10% in attendance since moving to The Prudential Center aka The Rock.
• Phoenix actually gained in average attendance this season by about 50 spectators.

That's all I have for now. More travel today and Phil Mickelson just went 6 under on the front 9 at Augusta. Insane. Check back tomorrow for the final attendance update and more.