“I’m back on the market,” read the post by the official Stanley Cup account. Hockey is officially back, and there has been no shortage of excitement in just a handful of days. Leon Draisaitl scored his 400th career NHL goal. Matthew Schaefer, 18, became the youngest NHL player to record a point, assisting Jonathan Drouin against the Penguins. And three-peat hopefuls, the Florida Panthers, are already on the front foot with a 2/2 record, and fans are showing up in big numbers.

On opening night, they handily beat the Chicago Blackhawks. Then on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers flew into the Sunshine State, only to leave with a 2-1 loss. It wasn’t the biggest or highest-scoring win of the night, but it was the most attended. In a summary shared by NHL News on X, the Panthers recorded attendance numbers of 19,431 (100.9%), topping the list. What’s also interesting is that the Panthers have overachieved; the Amerant Bank arena only has a capacity of 19,250 when it comes to hockey (it changes with sport), so it wasn’t just a full house; it was more than that. Literally.

As for the game, Anton Lundell gave the Panthers an early lead in the second period, but the Flyers weren’t backing down. Noah Cates was quick to score early in the third period, tying the game. Then, Brad Marchand, replacing an injured Matthew Tkachuk on the first line, sealed the deal. He found the back of the net at 2:19 of the third period. Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky was steady, stopping 19 of 20 shots, while Dan Vladar stood tall for Philadelphia, turning away 32 of 34 attempts to keep the game tight until the final buzzer.

The 19,431 fans surely must have enjoyed the show, though it wasn’t just the Florida Panthers that had more than a full house. At Rogers Arena, 19,012 fans packed in to watch the Vancouver Canucks crush the Calgary Flames 5-1, overflowing the 18,910-seat arena. At PNC Arena, 18,404 fans cheered as the Carolina Hurricanes took a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils, 0.6% above the 18,380 capacity. Bridgestone Arena saw 17,244 fans (0.5% more than the capacity) as the Predators narrowly beat Columbus 2-1, and at Ball Arena, 18,087 fans roared as the Avalanche edged out the Utah Mammoth 2-1, topping the standard 18,064 capacity.

Interestingly enough, the top 5 teams with packed arenas all won their games too. Rounding out the list were the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, and St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, and Seattle Kraken, all recording full houses while the Jets and Penguins narrowly fell short. But despite the overflowing arena, the Florida Panthers actually did one better in their season opener.

The Florida Panthers recorded better figures on opening night

While 19,431 is not at all a bad number—it’s actually great—the Panthers broke the record for their home opener. 19,655 fans (102.1% attendance rate) showed up to the Amerant Bank Arena to see the defending champions kick off their season with a triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks. This was also the highest attendance among NHL teams for that night, surpassing the Los Angeles Kings’ 18,145 and the New York Rangers’ 18,006.

What also made this game special was that it featured a special pregame ceremony where the Panthers raised their 2025 Stanley Cup championship banner in front of a sold-out crowd. It’s a testament to the hockey culture that the Panthers have helped instill in Sunrise, because the Panthers weren’t selling out arenas even a few short years ago.

Even as recently as the 2021-22 season, the Panthers were in 24th place for average league attendance, while their cross-state rivals, the Lightning, were topping the list or hanging out in the top five. It’s a figure that has only improved along with their performances, with the Panthers entering the top ten in the 2023-24 season (the season they won their first Cup) and climbing into the top five last year, just narrowly behind the Lightning in fourth.

Of course, it’s not just the hockey culture; their two Cups and general dominance have also helped matters greatly. This is a historic season for the Panthers as they chase the first three-peat in the league for over forty years, all but guaranteeing a packed arena all season.