August 04, 2004

Wisconsin Men's Hockey Breaks NCAA Attendance Record

FROM AMERICA�S DAIRYLAND comes word of yet another year of HockeyMania.

Wisconsin men�s hockey outdrew all other college hockey programs to lead the country in attendance during the 2003�04. This was the 30th time that Wisconsin led the nation in hockey attendance.

The Badgers drew 269,123 spectators in �03-�04, an average of 11,701 per game. The total fans who watched Wisconsin hockey eclipsed the previous NCAA mark of 267,375 set by Wisconsin during the 1998�99 season, which was the first season in the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin led the nation in attendance for 24 consecutive seasons from 1969�93 while the team skated at the Dane County Coliseum. The growth of other arenas around the country added capacity the Coliseum could not match, but the construction of the Kohl Center and its opening in 1998 allowed Wisconsin to reclaim the title as college hockey�s attendance leader.

Top 10 NCAA Home Attendance Averages
Team / Total / Average

1. Wisconsin: 269,123 (11,701)

2. North Dakota : 250,019 (10,870)

3. Minnesota: 221,953 (10,088)

4. Nebraska-Omaha: 155,505 (8184)

5. Michigan: 148,124 (6732)

6. Colorado College: 129,488 (6474)

7. Michigan State: 154,507 (6437)

8. New Hampshire: 128,195 (6409)

9. St. Cloud State: 105,279 (6192)

10. Boston College: 111,347 (6186)

(this excerpt was drawn from an article from Wisconsinbadgers.com of 8-2-04)