The most dedicated NHL fanbases can make an assist sound like a winning goal. Six minutes into Ivan Demidov’s NHL debut, Alex Newhook scored against Chicago at Bell Centre. When the announcer credited Demidov with an assist, the crowd rose. Later in the first period, the rookie scored himself. Montreal lost in a shootout that April night, but the standing ovation had come before anyone knew how the game would end. All it took was the sound of a name over the speakers.
Montreal sold out all 41 home dates in 2024–25. Yet the Canadiens finished fifth in total interactions on official team social accounts. Toronto led that measure, while Washington took second as Alex Ovechkin closed in on Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. Each club gave fans a different reason to pay attention. Montreal drew the league’s biggest home crowds. Toronto drew the strongest online response. Washington made its next power play worth watching across the league. Give the gate and the feed equal weight, and the order changes again.
How attendance and engagement shaped the rankings
The ranking compares the 10 clubs on Blinkfire’s 2024–25 regular-season leaderboard for total interactions on official team social accounts. NHLmania supplied average home attendance for the same season, crediting special-site games to the designated home club.
Each measure carries 50 points. A club earns attendance points based on its share of Montreal’s league-leading 21,105 per game and engagement points based on its share of Toronto’s 25.6 million interactions. Add the two scores and round to one decimal.
Arena size shapes the results. Utah sold every available seat, but its hockey setup held just 11,131. Among the 10 eligible clubs, Toronto’s lead online was enough to overcome Montreal’s edge at the gate.
The 10 most dedicated NHL fanbases in the comparison
1. Toronto Maple Leafs — 94.6 points
Toronto averaged 18,829 at home and generated 25.6 million social interactions. The Maple Leafs also led Blinkfire’s per-post leaderboard at about 6,200 interactions. They drew the strongest online response by both measures, with enough of an advantage in total interactions to finish first overall.
On April 15 in Buffalo, Mitch Marner reached 100 points, then passed up a shot at an empty net to set up Auston Matthews for his 400th career goal. Anthony Stolarz stopped all 35 shots he faced. The 4–0 win secured Toronto’s first division title in a full-length season since 1999–2000. For a fanbase accustomed to judging its teams by what happens in the playoffs, that night in Buffalo gave the regular season a finish of its own.
2. Washington Capitals — 90.7 points
Washington averaged 18,244 per home game and tallied 24.3 million interactions. The Capitals also led Blinkfire’s separate video leaderboard with 291 million views across the regular season. Those views cover the club’s full season of content, during which Ovechkin’s record chase gave Washington a story that reached well beyond its home crowd.
On April 6, Ovechkin snapped a power-play shot past Ilya Sorokin from the left circle. He dropped belly-first and slid across the ice after goal No. 895. The record fell on Long Island, but Washington fans had watched him tie Gretzky at home two days earlier. For years, that familiar patch of ice had signaled trouble for opposing penalty killers. By April, it told everyone watching where to look.
3. Montreal Canadiens — 88.1 points
The Canadiens averaged 21,105 per home game and logged 19.5 million interactions. Montreal earned all 50 attendance points. In the final regular-season home game, Kaiden Guhle scored twice against Carolina with a playoff berth at stake. After Jake Evans hit the empty net, the crowd got up and stayed standing through the horn.
At the time, the Canadiens hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2021. That made the final ovation easy to understand. The other 40 sellouts reveal something about Montreal’s place among the most dedicated NHL fanbases. Bell Centre had filled on nights when a playoff berth looked far less certain. The crowd that celebrated in April had been there all winter.
4. Boston Bruins — 84.9 points
Boston averaged 17,852 at TD Garden and recorded 21.8 million interactions, third in Blinkfire’s report. On December 1, the Bruins marked 100 years since their first game. Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Patrice Bergeron took part in the pregame ceremony. Brad Marchand stood among the alumni as the current captain. Hours later, Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle had scored twice each in a 6–3 win over Montreal.
That image of Marchand took on a different meaning in March, when Boston traded him to Florida. The player who had stood beside former Bruins captains had joined their ranks. Fans had barely finished celebrating a century of team history when they had to watch the captain who represented its present pull on another sweater.
5. Vancouver Canucks — 83.8 points
Vancouver drew 18,810 per home game and generated 20.1 million interactions. One of its most memorable games took place in Dallas. The Canucks trailed by three with a minute left on April 8. Then they scored three times in 54 seconds. Kiefer Sherwood finished the comeback in overtime, giving Vancouver a 6–5 win.
Decades earlier, another road game had given Canucks fans a moment they could make their own. During the 1982 playoffs in Chicago, coach Roger Neilson raised a white towel on a stick to protest the officiating. Fans waved towels when the team returned to Vancouver. A statue outside Rogers Arena now captures Neilson’s gesture. The Dallas comeback gave a later generation its own piece of road-game history, with three goals in less than a minute.
6. Colorado Avalanche — 80.7 points
Colorado averaged 18,067 per home game and collected 19.4 million interactions. On March 10 against Chicago, Devon Toews sent a shot toward the net and Artturi Lehkonen tipped it in. Nathan MacKinnon earned the secondary assist. Thirty-one seconds into the third period, the game had its first goal and MacKinnon had his 1,000th NHL point.
Before long, he added another assist. The milestone put him alongside Joe Sakic and Peter Stastny as the only players to reach 1,000 points with the Colorado–Quebec franchise. For Denver fans, Sakic brings to mind the Stanley Cup the Avalanche won in their first season in Colorado. For fans who followed the Nordiques, Stastny’s name reaches further back. One deflected shot gave both groups a reason to look up at the scoreboard.
7. Edmonton Oilers — 76.3 points
Edmonton averaged 18,347 at Rogers Place and drew 16.8 million interactions. Against Nashville on November 14, Leon Draisaitl carried the puck on a two-on-one and slipped it across to Connor McDavid. The one-timer gave McDavid his 1,000th NHL point with his father in the building.
At the time, only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy had reached the mark faster. Gretzky’s name put the milestone in familiar territory for Edmonton fans. The play itself belonged to the current Oilers, who needed one rush and one pass to tie two eras together. Edmonton finished fourth in average attendance among the 10 clubs ranked here and seventh in the combined standings.
8. New York Rangers — 70.8 points
The Rangers averaged 17,861 at Madison Square Garden and counted 14.6 million interactions. New York’s attendance advantage made up for its smaller social total and moved it just ahead of Pittsburgh. In the regular-season finale, the Rangers used warmups to salute Sam Rosen. Players skated in special jerseys for the broadcaster’s final call.
Then the Garden named Rosen the first star. Fans who had spent decades listening to him call Rangers goals could stand and applaud the voice they associated with watching at home. For a few minutes, the person who usually told fans whom to cheer for got to hear them cheer for him.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins — 70.3 points
Pittsburgh averaged 16,635 at home and drew 15.8 million interactions. The Penguins placed eighth in total engagement but ranked second in average engagement per post at roughly 3,700. That gap matters when comparing the most dedicated NHL fanbases. Pittsburgh finished in the bottom half of this group by season total, yet only Toronto drew more interactions per post.
On November 23, Sidney Crosby scored his 600th NHL goal with his parents in the stands at PPG Paints Arena. Utah won 6–1. Pittsburgh still had a moment worth carrying home. Crosby joined Mario Lemieux among the handful of players to score 600 goals for one franchise. Two players had now reached that mark wearing a Penguins sweater.
10. New Jersey Devils — 68.2 points
New Jersey averaged 16,154 per designated home game and produced 15.3 million interactions. The attendance average includes a Global Series date in Prague. Back in Newark, the Devils used a January home game against Boston to induct Jacques Lemaire into their Ring of Honor.
Nearly three decades had passed since Lemaire coached New Jersey to its first Stanley Cup. Earlier that same season, captain Nico Hischier had scored his first NHL hat trick at Prudential Center. The two nights gave Devils fans different reasons to get out of their seats. One honored the coach who delivered the club’s first title. The other gave fans a milestone they could watch unfold, one goal at a time.
What an ordinary night can tell us
A record chase gives a fan in another city a reason to pull up the Capitals’ highlights. A playoff clincher can keep an entire Montreal crowd on its feet through the horn. The harder test comes on a midweek night when the standings barely move and nobody has a record in sight. Over a full season, those ordinary dates help show how much attention lasts after the big moments pass.
That test carried into the following season. According to NHL Records, leaguewide regular-season attendance climbed to 23,158,522 in 2025–26, surpassing the record set during the season ranked here. The new high sets up the next question for the most dedicated NHL fanbases. Which clubs kept drawing crowds after the moments that defined 2024–25 had passed? Tracking home attendance and social interactions over several seasons would show how support holds up when a favorite player leaves or a promising team slips out of the playoff race. Arena occupancy and interactions per post would help put smaller venues and online audiences in perspective.
Toronto had the strongest combined season. Montreal showed what sustained demand looks like, from the first sellout to the final ovation. The next time the opponent brings little history and the forecast makes staying home tempting, how many fans will still plan their evening around puck drop?
READ MORE: How the Most Popular NHL Fanbases Drive TV Ratings
FAQs
Q1. Which NHL fanbase ranked first for attendance and engagement?
A. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished first with 94.6 points. They averaged 18,829 at home and led the league with 25.6 million social interactions.
Q2. Which NHL team had the highest average home attendance in 2024–25?
A. The Montreal Canadiens led the league with 21,105 fans per home game. They sold out all 41 home dates.
Q3. How did the ranking measure NHL fan dedication?
A. It compared 10 clubs from Blinkfire’s social engagement leaderboard. Average home attendance and total interactions on official team accounts each counted for up to 50 points.
Q4. Why did Toronto finish ahead of Montreal?
A. Montreal drew bigger home crowds. Toronto’s lead in social interactions was large enough to make up the difference and put the Maple Leafs first overall.
Q5. Did NHL attendance rise again in 2025–26?
A. Yes. NHL regular-season attendance reached 23,158,522 in 2025–26, surpassing the record set the previous season.
