Dallas Stars: Looking At 2017-18 Regular Season Attendance Numbers

The 2017-18 regular season was a rollercoaster for the Dallas Stars on the ice. But in the stands, it was another successful venture as the team capitalized with their fanbase yet again.

The Dallas Stars missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year for the eighth time in the last ten seasons. But that doesn’t necessarily make them a terrible team, does it?

After all, the Stars finished the year with a record of 42-32-8 with 92 points. That is tied for the team’s second-highest points total since the 2011-12 season. The Stars also showed a lot of promise in their play, except for a few areas that lacked substantial production.

But it all comes with forming an identity as a team. Dallas is still taking steps toward becoming a legitimate hockey franchise powerhouse in the NHL. That comes with a growing process, and the Stars are trudging through it right now.

And it seems as though their fans are sticking with them for the long haul.

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The franchise has taken a large leap forward since Jim Nill took over as general manager in the summer of 2013. At that point, the Dallas Stars had just missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season and were in a rut.

Nill quickly led them out of the pit, changing the buildup of the team over the summer and getting Dallas a postseason berth in his first year at the helm. Since then, the Stars have only qualified for the playoffs in one of the past four seasons. But their fan engagement continues to trend in the right direction.

According to ESPN.com, the Dallas Stars finished the 2017-18 season with an average of 18,110 fans attending each home game at the American Airlines Center. Considering the American Airlines Center holds 18,532, the Stars filled up an average of 97.7 percent of their barn for each of the 41 home games.

They owned the 15th highest average number of fans in the league and the 20th highest arena filling percentage. For a southern, non-traditional market team that missed the playoffs for the second straight year after falling apart in 2016-17, those numbers are pretty decent.

Here is a look at the Stars’ averages over the past five seasons since Nill arrived:

2013-14: 14,568 fans (28th), 79.1 percent full (30th)

2014-15: 17,350 fans (19th), 93.6 percent full (24th)

2015-16: 18,376 fans (15th), 99.2 percent full (15th)

2016-17: 18,101 fans (16th), 97.7 percent full (19th)

2017-18: 18,110 fans (15th), 97.7 percent full (20th)

It’s all about a growing process and getting to where they eventually want to be. But still, the Dallas Stars are moving in the right direction. Even in the tough times, Stars fans are sticking it out and staying loyal.

Dallas is building something of note with their hockey culture and it is starting to show in the numbers. If the success starts coming at a more consistent rate, these numbers will only reach new heights. After all, look what happened in 2015-16 when they won the Central Division title.

Next: Five Surprise Stars Players From 2017-18 Season

That’s major props to you, Stars fans. Keep the fire burning.

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