Despite Finishing Last In The East, Columbus Finished With Its Best Attendance Numbers Since 03-04

The Columbus Blue Jackets had another disappointing season but despite that, the fiercely loyal fans of this team continue to support them and fill the arena. 

Many critics of the team will say that the continual support of this team is what is leading to mediocrity, arguing that maybe if fans stop supporting the team, ownership will get more serious about winning. On the flip side, a lack of support leads to a lack of profit, which can lead to relocation. That's not ideal and most fans of this team would never refuse to support them. 

The 2022-23 season was abysmal, but they were able to land future superstar Adam Fantilli, so it worked out. That season saw multiple sellouts of games down the stretch which caught the attention of national media everywhere. People were amazed that even though the team was at the bottom of the standings, fans were still showing up, especially at the end of the season. But that's just how Columbus sports fans are, they're fanatical. 

The 2023-24 season was more of the same losing and underachieving. Columbus didn't play too terribly at home, it was the road where they couldn't win. They went 17-19-5 at Nationwide Arena, which led to decent attendance. So decent that they had the 5th most amount of fans come through the doors in their history. 

The final attendance count for the Blue Jackets was 697,667, which ended up being the highest amount since the 2003-04 season when they put 712,145 into the stands. During the 03-04 season they averaged 17,369, while this season the average was 17,016 and was at 93.8% capacity. They finished the season with 14 sellouts, just missing a 15th in the last game of the season with 17,289 in-house. They've only averaged max capacity in one season, and that was the 2001-02 season. 

Nationwide Arena is 19th in terms of capacity at 18,144. Compare that to the biggest arena, the Bell Centre in Montreal holds 21,105. 

With all that being said, the Blue Jackets finished 27th in total attendance, average attendance per game, and % capacity. Many people will argue that 93.8% isn't good, but there were only 10 teams who finished at 100% or over, and one of them was the Arizona Coyotes. They finished ahead of the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Buffalo Sabres. 

The NHL as a whole put over 22.5 million fans in their arenas this season, beating the previous high set last season. The NHL ran at 97% capacity this past season. 

Attendance in Columbus continues to rise despite all the losses. This city is begging for a winning hockey team and deserves it.

The Columbus Blue Jackets must get their moves right this summer with the hiring of the GM, potentially a new coach, and any on-ice personnel they choose to make if they want to keep the attendance trend going in the right direction. 

The city of Columbus deserves a winning hockey team, and ownership needs to prove they want to put a winning product on the ice by making the right decisions. 

It's time.

More From THN Columbus

Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.