Record Revenue and Attendance Has Business Booming Again for the American Hockey League

Record Revenue and Attendance Has Business Booming Again for the American Hockey League
Coachella Valley Firebirds fans cheer for their team during a Calder Cup Finals hockey game in Palm Desert, Calif. on June 10, 2023. Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
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More than 10,000 fans filled the Hershey Bears’ home arena on Tuesday night to watch the oldest American Hockey League franchise take on the newest, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, in the Calder Cup Finals.

It was the third consecutive game in the AHL championship series to be sold out and pushed total playoff attendance for the NHL’s top developmental league above half a million fans. That’s a record for the nearly 90-year-old league that also set a new high water mark for revenue, which president and CEO Scott Howson estimates is 15% to 20% above pre-pandemic levels.