Saturday's game was the lowest-attended Canucks-Leafs game in 26 years
It’s always a big game when the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town.
Their annual Vancouver visit is never short on emotion in the stands, as Canucks and Leafs fans try to one-up each other. This is true no matter where each team sits in the standings.
So why were there so many empty seats at Rogers Arena on Saturday?
The announced attendance was 17,867 — more than a thousand fewer attendees than last year. In fact, you have to go back more than two decades to find a lower-attended Canucks-Leafs game in Vancouver, excluding games with attendance restrictions during the pandemic.
The last time the Canucks drew fewer fans for a Leafs game was the night Henrik Sedin scored his first NHL goal, when 16,496 turned up for Toronto’s visit on Oct. 16, 2000 — 26 years ago.
There are plenty of reasons to explain Saturday’s poor turnout. For starters, it was a 4 p.m. start on Halloween, which made it tough for anyone with trick-or-treater-aged children.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Attendance is down in general this season.
Quinn Hughes’ emotionally charged return to Vancouver drew just 17,560 — more than a thousand seats below capacity. The second home game of the season, on a Saturday night against the Calgary Flames, drew 16,591. That was the first time in eight years the Canucks failed to draw at least 17,000 fans to a game.
Combined average attendance in the last four seasons was 18,750, but in seven games this season, they’ve surpassed the 18,000 plateau just once. That came on opening night, when an announced crowd of 18,677 saw the Canucks play Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Attendance at Canucks games this season:Ā
- Oct. 1 (Edmonton): 18,677
- Oct. 3 (Calgary): 16,591
- Oct. 4 (Vegas): 17,227
- Oct. 20 (Carolina): 17,250
- Oct. 22 (Detroit): 17,523
- Oct. 25 (Minnesota): 17,560
- Oct. 31 (Toronto): 17,867
Another explanation is obviously the ticket prices.
Canucks games are divided into six different pricing tiers, with the Leafs game being the most expensive game of the season. The cheapest tickets were listed for over $200 in the lead-up to Saturday’s game.
The get-in price actually dropped this season, but the minimum price for select games was still $83 when tickets went on sale this summer.
The Canucks are also expected to lose a lot of games again this season, which clearly should hurt attendance, even if fans are on board with the rebuild plan.
Another contributing factor has to be the Canucks’ record on home ice. Last season, the Canucks posted the worst home-ice record by an NHL team in 30 years, winning just 10 of 42 home games.