Celebrate SIL's #HockeyWeek With Some Hot New Data
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Innovation in Action
Where’s the Puck Headed?
This weekend the Sports Innovation Lab team attended the NHL All Star Game. We sat next to women on a girls trip, families, business professionals, and a whole host of fans who looked surprisingly different from the stereotypical hockey fans. So we’ve been asking: Who are hockey fans?
To start: they’re loyal. While YOY growth of new fans in our hockey community is down 8% since 2021, the overall fanbase has increased 35% YoY cumulatively since 2016. Fueling this growth is a strong retained base, spending more than other sports fans on the sports they love. What’s more: both the most loyal and one-and-done hockey consumers spend more than the average sports fan towards this sport. Beyond loyalty metrics, what else can we uncover about hockey fans?
*Our data comes from a random panel of 20 million credit & debit card holders in the United States from January 1, 2016 - February 8, 2023.
Historically we think of hockey as being prominent in the original 6 markets (Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York, Detroit, Chicago). While this is still true, hockey is expanding. This changes typically as people move in a more fluid world or following different teams’ success. When looking at percent of a state’s population, we see hockey fans concentrated in Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Most of these states are colder climates or have a long, rich hockey tradition. Florida stands out for the two reasons mentioned above. According to the Census, Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022, with migration being the largest contributing factor. In conjunction with that, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have shown recent success, with the Lightning especially by making the last three Stanley Cup finals, claiming two titles of their own.
Hockey fans are a passionate bunch and we can see their loyalty clearly through the data. The second half of the season is shaping up to be competitive for new and traditional markets alike. Finding the right brands, experiences, and offers to get to these fans is critical for the league’s continued growth.
To understand how the Fluid Fan can be an impactful customer segment, check out our reports and reach out with any questions.
What an All-Star Game!
This past weekend was the 2023 National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Game. It was held on Saturday February 4th at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers.
The Central Division played the Pacific Division in the semifinal game and defeated them with a score of 6-4 to send them to the finals. The Metropolitan Division played against the Atlantic division losing with a score of 10-6, sending the Atlantic Division to the finals. The Atlantic Division came out on top with a 7-5 victory over the Central Division. The Atlantic Division secured the $1 million prize to be split between them.
The Tkachuk brothers and Dylan Larkin are who the Atlantic Division can thank for their two game wins. Larkin scored a hat trick during the final game, along with two goals in the semifinals. Brady Tkachuk ended the night with a goal and four assists, but it was his brother, Matthew Tkachuk who took the MVP title. Matthew is the winger and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers. He gained the title of MVP after his four goals and three assists in total between the two games played. A little hometown loyalty from the judges here…
#HockeyWeek at SIL
It’s #HockeyWeek here at SIL and we can’t wait to share our new data on the NHL with you this week. We had the privilege of attending the NHL All-Star Game this weekend and we are excited to show you all the memories we made!
If you're ready to create breakthrough fan experiences and connect with the Fluid Fan through technology, visit our website sportsilab.com or email info@sportsilab.com! Sign up for our Most Innovative Membership by emailing membersonly@sportsilab.com or visiting mostinnovative.com!