A map is projected on the ice at a recent Golden Knights game. Photo by L.E. Baskow/LVSportsBiz.com

Golden Knights’ Sellouts No Big Deal; Attendance Hitting 103% of Capacity

By ALAN SNEL

LVSportsBiz.com

 

A sellout at T-Mobile Arena is no longer a big deal for the Vegas Golden Knights.

 

The rookie NHL team is averaging 17,941 fans per game after 27 home games entering Saturday’s match with the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

Vegas Golden Knights fans watch the players warm up and hope for a puck before a recent game. Photo by L.E. Baskow/LVSportsBiz.com

 

With a seating capacity of 17,367, the Golden Knights’ attendance is hitting 103.3 percent of capacity. That’s good for third in the 31-team league, trailing only the Chicago Blackhawks (109.6 of capacity) and MInnesota Wild (105.8 percent of capacity).

Small fan at today’s Golden Knights’ game. Photo credit: Erik Ricardo/LVSportsBiz.com

 

LVSportsBiz.com is willing to bet the Golden Knights’ game with the Montreal Canadiens today at 4 p.m. will be a sellout, with a prediction of another 18,000+ plus in attendance. We predicted 18,127, and the crowd was 18122.

 

The home crowd celebrated a 6-3 win over the Canadiens. And a few Montreal fans were not too happy.

Embarrassed Canadiens fans at T-Mobile Arena tonight. Photo credit: Melissa Mirich

 

 

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The Golden Knights are selling, on average, more than 500 stranding room only tickets a game.

On-ice action from today’s game. Photo credit: Erik John Ricardo/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Marc-Andre Fleury in action today. Photo credit: Erik John Ricardo/LVSportsBiz.com

 

The team’s average ticket cost is $88. Multiply that $88 per ticket by the 484,433 fans who have come to Golden Knights games for the 27 home dates before Saturday’s game and the expansion franchise has generated $42.6 million in ticket revenue. That alone covers a healthy chunk of the Golden Knights player payroll.

Golden Knights have a Chance the mascot bobblehead giveaway at Monday’s game. Photo credit: Erik John Ricardo/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Bar life adds to the Golden Knights game experience. Photo credit: Erik John Ricardo/LVSportsBiz.com

 

 

The Golden Knights games have become events to be seen at as everyone from baseball star and Las Vegas native Bryce Harper to Carrot Top to Imagine Dragons members attend games.

 

The team also has a waiting list (“Can’t Wait List”) of 2,500 fans who have placed a deposit for season tickets for the 2018-19 season and 14,000 season ticket equivalents in 2017-18.

 

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Alan Snel

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.