5 NHL teams with lowest crowd attendance in 2025 ft. the San Jose Sharks

NHL ticket sales have trended upward this season. According to a study by The Athletic, 20 of the 32 franchises have reported a bump in average attendance in 2025. Many factors have also led to the league breaking new ground.

The return of best-on-best hockey, the excitement of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and a surge in interest across the U.S. have led to the NHL being more popular than ever. However, some franchises have failed to ride the wave and have been losing ground. Six teams saw their box office numbers take a downturn this year.

The study, which used data from Hockey Reference, said that "nearly all of the dips were negligible." The figures utilized are updated until last Monday, and the Utah Hockey Club was left out because of shifting cities and ongoing construction work to expand Delta Arena's seating.

5 NHL teams with lowest crowd attendance in 2025 ft. San Jose Sharks

#1 San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are rock-bottom of the NHL, with only 49 points from 72 games. This is reflected in their low attendance numbers, only operating at 80% of full capacity. This means an average attendance of 13,953 people per game for a stadium that can hold 17,435. The Sharks have been eliminated from playoff contention, which has also affected attendance.

The good news is that their numbers have increased by 2.3% this season, with The Athletic pointing to star rookie Macklin Celebrini as one of the main draws.

#2 Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are averaging 16,045 out of 19,070 per game. The arena is only filled to 84.1% of capacity on average. Buffalo is 29th in the NHL standings, with 66 points from 72 games.

The Sabres staying nailed in the bottom half of the league for the past seasons hasn’t helped their box office. The recent US-Canada tensions, which have led to fewer Canadians crossing to attend games in Buffalo, have also hurt attendance.

#3 Pittsburgh Penguins

The fiercely loyal Pittsburgh Penguins’ fanbase has kept occupancy at 91.6% (16,667 out of 18,187 seats filled on average) but the underperforming team has seen one of the worst drops in attendance in the NHL this season. The average attendance has decreased by 1,187 fans per game — a 6.6% dip.

The 2024-25 campaign is shaping up to be the third season in a row the team will fall outside the playoff spots, and even Sidney Crosby breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of seasons with a point-per-game average was not enough to energize the fans.

The team’s average attendance this season is the lowest since 2006-07 in absolute terms. However, looking at the percentage of seats filled, the numbers are the lowest since the 2003-04 season.

#4 Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have been playing out of their skin this season and their attendance is steadily trending upward compared to the first half of the campaign. While an average of 17,677 of 19,289 seats filled at 91.6% is still low, the uptick is on the back of the overachieving franchise staying in the playoff hunt.

With 80 points from 72 games with three games on hand, Calgary has at least an outside fighting chance of grabbing the last wild-card spot in the West. With every remaining regular season game a critical one for the team, fans are likely to flock to the arena in droves.

#5 Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are 24th in the NHL, thanks to a mini-resurgence in recent weeks, but they are looking like a case of too little, too late. Their 17,174-seat stadium sees 15,810 people in attendance on average, for 92.1% capacity.

With only 72 points from 72 games, Anaheim is 15 points short of a playoff spot, leaving the team and its fans with little to expect for the remainder of the season.