Most followed hockey team in North America

[MissSioux85]

With the NHL lockout, UND has become the most followed hockey team in North America.

UND is averaging 11,730 fans per game this season — slightly more than 100 percent capacity at Ralph Engelstad Arena — which beats out the top-drawing teams from the American Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League, the Central Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, among others.

...only three teams worldwide are currently drawing more fans per game than UND — SC Bern (Switzerland), Eisbaren Berlin (Germany) and Kolner Haie (Germany)

UND is outdrawing every team in the KHL, the Russian superleague where locked out NHL stars Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk are playing.

Hakstol has some high praise for Sioux fans

“I don’t know about the attendance marks, but I know about the energy our fans bring,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “It’s the best student section in the country. When we leave for pregame meal, there’s 1,000 students already lined up at 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. When we come back for the game, that student lineup out in the cold wraps halfway around the back of the arena. That, in itself, brings some excitement when you get to the rink.

“Inside the arena, the passion all our fans bring is second to none. I can compare that to almost any sporting event I’ve been at. What continually strikes me is the new people that come into the building — NHL people and hockey people from all over different parts of North America. No matter what they’ve heard about the building, no matter how many positives they’ve heard, by the end of the hockey game they are still in disbelief about what they just witnessed. That’s due to the passion and excitement of our fans. Their loyalty is second to none.”

http://www.grandfork...group/homepage/

[Oxbow6]

Just read story in the Forum...pretty amazing when you think about it. One could argue #s/attendance all day but I think this article sets Sioux hockey a top as followed sport in the region.

'SU trolls stay away...

[watchmaker49]

I wonder what Minnesota's numbers would be if they counted the people who walked in the door and not tickets sold. For years they have announced attendence of over 9,000 and you could see that a good chunk of the areana was empty.

[Speez]

I wonder what Minnesota's numbers would be if they counted the people who walked in the door and not tickets sold. For years they have announced attendence of over 9,000 and you could see that a good chunk of the areana was empty.

Why do you care about the goophers?

Another Sioux thread ruined already, and not even by a goopher fan, I don't think.

[watchmaker49]

Why do you care about the goophers?

Another Sioux thread ruined already, and not even by a goopher fan, I don't think.

Yes, you did ruin the thread with your mindless little attempt at being funny. By the way if you had bothered to even read the article you would have seen that their attendance figures was mentioned. So my comment, unlike your comment, was pertinent to the topic being discussed. Back to the kid's table with you and let the adults talk.

[Speez]

Yes, you did ruin the thread with your mindless little attempt at being funny. By the way if you had bothered to even read the article you would have seen that their attendance figures was mentioned. So my comment, unlike your comment, was pertinent to the topic being discussed. Back to the kid's table with you and let the adults talk.

If I was trying to be funny, I would react like you.

[watchmaker49]

If I was trying to be funny, I would react like you.

The problem is I was not trying to be funny. I was only stating a fact. Now enjoy your day at the kids table and someday maybe they will let you move up as you mature.

[NDHockey]

Don't all schools count tickets sold as the attendance as opposed to the number of people that actually attend? I'm pretty sure that is the standard for how it is done.

[Speez]

The problem is I was not trying to be funny. I was only stating a fact. Now enjoy your day at the kids table and someday maybe they will let you move up as you mature.

WHOOOSHHH!!!!

I wasn't either.

[passit_offthegoalie]

Don't all schools count tickets sold as the attendance as opposed to the number of people that actually attend? I'm pretty sure that is the standard for how it is done.

What's so hard about adding up all the tickets that get scanned by the scanners at the gates?

It comes down to what your definition of the word "attendance" is. I guess I'm old-school in that I think "attendance", in this context, should be a measure of the number of people that "attend" something.

[sioux rube]

I wonder what Minnesota's numbers would be if they counted the people who walked in the door and not tickets sold. For years they have announced attendence of over 9,000 and you could see that a good chunk of the areana was empty.

No different when I was at the AA series. They said attendance was 11 thousand or whatever. Lucky there was 9000 folks in the seats.

[Siouxman]

What's so hard about adding up all the tickets that get scanned by the scanners at the gates?

Scanners are not in universal use at all arenas. Last year at St. Cloud, the people behind us got into the game on Saturday night with Friday night tickets. The person they bought them from sent them the wrong ones, but they got in anyway. No one knew it until someone else showed up with tickets for those seats. The tickets were manually checked at the door, not scanned.

[bigskyvikes]

If every season ticket holder DID NOT SHOW UP and every general admission ticket was sold, it would still be "SOLD OUT" because the season tickets were sold! Everyone does it this way....