IceHogs Set All-Time Average Attendance Record
April 15, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
Rockford, Ill.- The 38-regular season home schedule is complete for the Rockford IceHogs and the 2012-13 attendance was the most successful in team history.
Following the club's fifth sellout and largest crowd of the season on Friday, where the team drew 6,228 fans, the IceHogs finished the season with a franchise record 4,560 average at the BMO Harris Bank Center in 2012-13.
Overall, the IceHogs brought in 173,292 fans to downtown Rockford, up 7.4% from the team's total in 2011-12 (161,286). The club's overall attendance total was just 1,126 shy of the team's all-time attendance mark (174,418) set in 2010-11 when the IceHogs played two more home games. In addition to the increase in attendance, merchandise sales increased more than 30 percent this season, a strong indicator of fan affinity.
"From celebrating our two-millionth fan to setting a new all-time attendance record, we've had a really fantastic season," said RAVE Board Chairman Mike Dunn. "This year we've really been able to reach and attract new fans from throughout the region and show them high-quality and affordable entertainment here in Rockford."
The IceHogs averaged 4,816 fans in 19 games following the National Hockey League's lockout after Jan. 19 compared to 4,304 fans per contest during the lockout.
This season, the IceHogs increased the team's regional awareness by reallocating marketing efforts to focus on the I-90 corridor and draw attendees from the northwest suburbs, DeKalb and the southwest tier of Wisconsin.
"The IceHogs have grown into more than just Rockford's team. With our regional approach, families and fans from outside of Rockford have found that you can have a fun and affordable night out with the IceHogs," said RAVE Executive Director/General Manager Gordon Kaye. "As we continue to build our regional presence, I expect our attendance to continue its strong growth for seasons to come."
In 14 seasons of professional hockey in Rockford, the IceHogs have drawn over two million fans to the BMO Harris Bank Center. Since joining the AHL prior to the 2007-08 campaign, the IceHogs have averaged 4,142 fans per game in six seasons, compared to 3,700 in eight campaigns in the now defunct United Hockey League. That's an average attendance increase of 11.9%.
Over the past three seasons, the IceHogs have averaged 4,388 fans per game, drawing 508,996 during that time span.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2013
- Monarchs Weekly Report - Manchester Monarchs
- Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Minnesota Assigns Defenseman Mathew Dumba - Houston Aeros
- Texas Stars Announce Details for Fan Appreciation Night - Texas Stars
- Stalock Grabs Milestone Win as Sharks Hit Final Stretch this Week - Worcester Sharks Weekly - Worcester Sharks
- IceHogs Set All-Time Average Attendance Record - Rockford IceHogs
- Crunch Weekly - Syracuse Crunch
- Ducks Reassign Forward Peter Holland to Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- San Antonio Rampage Weekly Update - San Antonio Rampage
- Coyotes Recall Nick Johnson and Chad Johnson from Portland - Portland Pirates
- Wolves Weekly Notes - Chicago Wolves
- Left Wing Ryan Stoa Re-Signed for 2013-2014 - Hershey Bears
- Bulldogs Recall Antoine Corbin from Bulls - Hamilton Bulldogs
- IceCaps Release Josh Godfrey from PTO - St. John's IceCaps
- Barons Defenseman Brandon Davidson Wins AHL's Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award - Oklahoma City Barons
- Oklahoma City's Brandon Davidson Named Winner of AHL's Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award - AHL
- Rampage Reassign Forward John McFarland to Cincinnati - San Antonio Rampage
- Flames Reassign Centre Ben Street to Abbotsford - Abbotsford Heat
- Defenseman Frank Corrado Joins Wolves - Chicago Wolves
- Hogs Cap Week 27 with Much-Needed Victories - Rockford IceHogs
- Torey Krug Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - Providence Bruins
- Providence's Torey Krug Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- Falcons Announce First Two Home Playoff Dates - Springfield Falcons
- Phantoms Announce Scoville Gemstone Giveaway Night - Adirondack Phantoms
- Down To The Wire - Hershey Bears
- Admirals Release Forward Brayden Irwin from PTO - Norfolk Admirals
- Crunch Announce Dates for Game 1 and Game 2 of Eastern Conference Quarterfinal - Syracuse Crunch
- Whale Weekly - Connecticut Whale
- Pirates Weekly - Portland Pirates
- Hirschfeld Returns to Providence - Providence Bruins
- Texas Stars Rout San Antonio 8-2 to Clinch 2012-13 South Division - Texas Stars
- Marlies Fall 3-1 in Abbotsford - Toronto Marlies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
