WHL sees highest attendance totals in five years

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 29, 2025.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The Western Hockey League saw a five-season high of fans in rinks this regular season.

The WHL’s league-wide attendance for the 2024-25 season surpassed 3.1 million, representing the highest per-game attendance rate over the last five seasons.

That span includes the 2020-21 season that was played without fans in attendance and the shorthanded 2019-20 season, both affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank everyone in the WHL family who brings our games to life day in, day out,” WHL commissioner Dan Near said in a release. “It’s a privilege to have so many people committed to the growth and development of these outstanding young me, and the League as a whole.”

A total of 3,122,466 fans attended WHL regular season games, an increase of 45,544 from the 2023-24 total.

The league-wide average per game was 4,175.

In Medicine Hat, a total of 131,398 fans attended 34 home games at Co-op Place for a regular season average of 3,865, the 13th highest average in the 22-team league.

The season total is a jump from the previous season, with 22,846 more fans walking through the Co-op Place doors than in 2023-24.