Global InformationList of ice hockey games with highest attendance information
This is a list of ice hockey games with the highest attendance on record. All of the games on this list were held in stadiums designed for field sports such as association football, gridiron football, and baseball. Four of the "games" listed were actually doubleheaders, in which a single ticket provided admission to two games held back-to-back. The fixed-roof Ford Field in Detroit hosted one doubleheader and a single game, and another was held at the retractable-roof Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (with the roof closed for that game); all other games on the list were held in open-air venues. Most of these games were staged as special events, and all but one were played in the 21st century.
Attendance in the 30,000 range was once quite common for major international matches held outdoors in the 1940s and 50s in Moscow's Lenin Stadium. Figures of this type are still common in bandy, a relative of ice hockey played outdoors.
The record for a Stanley Cup playoff game, as well as for an NHL game played in a teams' regular home stadium, is 28,183, which was set on April 23, 1996, at the Thunderdome during a Tampa Bay Lightning – Philadelphia Flyers game.[1]
A new record was set on December 11, 2010, when the University of Michigan's men's ice hockey team faced cross-state rival Michigan State in an event billed as "The Big Chill at the Big House". The game was played at Michigan's football venue, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with a capacity of 109,901, as of the 2010 football season. Ultimately, a crowd announced by the University of Michigan as 113,411, at that time the largest in the stadium's history (including football), saw the homestanding Wolverines win 5–0. Guinness World Records, using a count of ticketed fans who actually entered the stadium instead of UM's figure of tickets sold, announced a final figure of 104,173.[2][3]
| Rank | Attendance | Location | Date | Event | Home team | Final score | Visiting team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 113,411 (announced)[3] 104,173 (certified)[2] |
 Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor |
December 11, 2010 | The Big Chill at the Big House | Michigan Wolverines (men) | 5–0 | Michigan State Spartans (men) |
| 2 | 105,491 (announced)[4] < 104,173 (certified)[5] |
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor |
January 1, 2014 | 2014 NHL Winter Classic | Detroit Red Wings | 2–3 (SO) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 3 | 85,630[6] | Cotton Bowl, Dallas |
January 1, 2020 | 2020 NHL Winter Classic | Dallas Stars | 4-2 | Nashville Predators |
| 4 | 79,690[7] | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
February 18, 2024 | 2024 NHL Stadium Series | New York Islanders | 5–6 (OT) | New York Rangers |
| 5 | 77,803[8] |  Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen |
May 7, 2010 | 2010 IIHF World Championship | United States |
1–2 (OT) | Germany[9]
|
| 6 | 74,554[10] | Spartan Stadium, East Lansing |
October 6, 2001 | Cold War | Michigan State Spartans (men) | 3–3 | Michigan Wolverines (men) |
| 7 | 71,381[11] |  Gazprom Arena, Saint Petersburg |
December 16, 2018 | Euro Hockey Tour | Russia |
5–0 |  Finland
|
| 8 | 71,217[12] | Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park |
January 1, 2008 | 2008 NHL Winter Classic | Buffalo Sabres | 1–2 (SO) | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 9 | 70,328[13] | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
February 17, 2024 | 2024 NHL Stadium Series | New Jersey Devils | 6–3 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 10 | 70,205[14] | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California |
February 21, 2015 | 2015 NHL Stadium Series | San Jose Sharks | 1–2 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 11 | 69,620 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
February 23, 2019 | 2019 NHL Stadium Series | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–3 (OT) | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 12 | 68,619[15] | Nissan Stadium, Nashville |
February 26, 2022 | 2022 NHL Stadium Series | Nashville Predators | 2–3 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 13 | 68,111[16] | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh |
January 1, 2011 | 2011 NHL Winter Classic | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–3 | Washington Capitals |
| 14 | 67,877[17] | Gazprom Arena, Saint Petersburg |
December 15, 2019 | Euro Hockey Tour | Russia |
2–0 | Finland
|
| 15 | 67,318[18] | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh |
February 25, 2017 | 2017 NHL Stadium Series | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–2 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 16 | 67,246[19] | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough |
January 1, 2016 | 2016 NHL Winter Classic | Boston Bruins | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 17 | 62,921 | Soldier Field, Chicago |
March 1, 2014 | 2014 NHL Stadium Series | Chicago Blackhawks | 5–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 18 | 57,167[20] |  Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton |
November 22, 2003 | 2003 Heritage Classic | Edmonton Oilers | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 19 | 56,961 | Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh |
February 18, 2023 | 2023 NHL Stadium Series | Carolina Hurricanes | 4–1 | Washington Capitals |
| 20 | 55,411 | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton |
October 29, 2023 | 2023 NHL Heritage Classic | Edmonton Oilers | 5–2 | Calgary Flames |
| 21 | 55,031[21] | Camp Randall Stadium, Madison |
February 6, 2010 | Camp Randall Hockey Classic | Wisconsin Badgers (women) | 6–1 | Bemidji State Beavers (women) |
| Wisconsin Badgers (men) | 3–2 | Michigan Wolverines (men) | |||||
| 22 | 55,000[10] |  Lenin Stadium, Moscow |
March 5, 1957 | 1957 Ice Hockey World Championships | Soviet Union |
4–4 |  Sweden
|
| 23 | 54,194 | BC Place, Vancouver |
March 2, 2014 | 2014 NHL Heritage Classic | Vancouver Canucks | 2–4 | Ottawa Senators |
| 24 | 54,099 | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles |
January 25, 2014 | 2014 NHL Stadium Series | Los Angeles Kings | 0–3 | Anaheim Ducks |
| 25 | 52,051 | Soldier Field, Chicago |
February 17, 2013 | OfficeMax Hockey City Classic | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (men) | 2–1 | Miami RedHawks (men) |
| Wisconsin Badgers (men) | 3–2 | Minnesota Golden Gophers (men) | |||||
| 26 | 51,125[22] | ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf |
January 10, 2015 | 2015 DEL Winter Game | Düsseldorfer EG | 3–2 | Kölner Haie |
| 27 | 50,426 | TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis |
February 21, 2016 | 2016 NHL Stadium Series | Minnesota Wild | 6–1 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 28 | 50,105 | Yankee Stadium, New York City |
January 26, 2014 | 2014 NHL Stadium Series | New Jersey Devils | 3–7 | New York Rangers |
| 29 | 50,095 | Coors Field, Denver |
February 27, 2016 | 2016 NHL Stadium Series | Colorado Avalanche | 3–5 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 30 | 50,027 | Yankee Stadium, New York City |
January 29, 2014 | 2014 NHL Stadium Series | New York Islanders | 1–2 | New York Rangers |
| 31 | 50,000[23] | Stadion Nürnberg, Nuremberg |
January 5, 2013 | 2013 DEL Winter Game | Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers | 4–3 | Eisbären Berlin |
| 32 | 47,313[24] | T-Mobile Park, Seattle |
January 1, 2024 | 2024 NHL Winter Classic | Seattle Kraken | 3–0 | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 33 | 47,011[25] | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne |
January 12, 2019 | 2019 DEL Winter Game | Kölner Haie | 2–3 (OT) | Düsseldorfer EG |
| 34 | 46,967[26] | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia |
January 2, 2012 | 2012 NHL Winter Classic | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–3 | New York Rangers |
| 35 | 46,556 | Busch Stadium, St. Louis |
January 2, 2017 | 2017 NHL Winter Classic | St. Louis Blues | 4–1 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 36 | 45,808[27] | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia |
December 31, 2011 | NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game | Philadelphia Flyers Alumni | 3–1 | New York Rangers Alumni |
| 37 | 45,653[28] | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia |
January 6, 2012 | 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic | Adirondack Phantoms | 4–3 (OT) | Hershey Bears |
| 38 | 45,523 | FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland |
February 18, 2023 | Faceoff on the Lake | Ohio State Buckeyes (men) | 4–2 | Michigan Wolverines (men) |
| 39 | 45,021[29] | TCF Stadium, Minneapolis |
January 17, 2014 | 2014 Hockey City Classic | Minnesota Gophers (men) | 1–0 | Ohio State Buckeyes (men) |
| 40 | 44,592[30] | Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park |
December 29, 2017 | 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | United States |
4-3 (SO) | Canada
|
| 41 | 42,832[31] | Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. |
January 1, 2015 | 2015 NHL Winter Classic | Washington Capitals | 3–2 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 42 | 41,022[32] | McMahon Stadium, Calgary |
February 20, 2011 | 2011 Heritage Classic | Calgary Flames | 4-0 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 43 | 40,890[33] | Lambeau Field, Green Bay |
February 13, 2006 | Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic | Wisconsin Badgers (men) | 4–2 | Ohio State Buckeyes (men) |
| 44 | 40,818[34] | Wrigley Field, Chicago |
January 1, 2009 | 2009 NHL Winter Classic | Chicago Blackhawks | 4–6 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 45 | 40,163[35] | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne |
December 3, 2022 | 2022 DEL Winter Game | Kölner Haie | 4–2 | Adler Mannheim |
| 46 | 38,472[36] | Fenway Park, Boston |
January 8, 2010 | Frozen Fenway | Northeastern Huskies (women) | 3–5 | New Hampshire Wildcats (women) |
| Boston College Eagles (men) | 2–3 | Boston University Terriers (men) | |||||
| 47 | 38,456[37] | Fenway Park, Boston |
January 7, 2012 | Frozen Fenway 2012 | UMass Minutemen (men) | 3–2 (OT) | Vermont Catamounts (men) |
| Maine Black Bears (men) | 5-4 (OT) | New Hampshire Wildcats (men) | |||||
| 48 | 38,112 | Fenway Park, Boston |
January 1, 2010 | 2010 NHL Winter Classic | Boston Bruins | 2–1 (OT) | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 49 | 37,592[38] | Ford Field, Detroit |
April 10, 2010 | 2010 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship Game | Boston College Eagles (men) | 5–0 | Wisconsin Badgers (men) |
| 50 | 36,644[39] | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki |
February 5, 2011 | 2011 SM-liiga Winter Classic (Talviklassikko) | Jokerit | 3–4 | HIFK |
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- ^ "Historic win for Germany". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2010-05-07. Archived from the original on 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ The USA was the designated home team for this game by IIHF seeding criteria, despite Germany being host of the World Championships.
- ^ a b Finsterwalder, Brandon (2001-10-08). "Outdoor hockey game". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
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