It has been an amazing 3 years for hockey in Los Angeles. As a life long fan of the Los Angeles Kings, this is shangri-la. I am truly enjoying this unprecedented run of success that the Kings are on.



One thing that some fans from the Midwest & East Coast run to is the term Bandwagon, Bandwagoners, Bandwagon Fans, etc. to describe fans of the Los Angeles Kings.



I personally know that I am not of the bandwagon variety fan as I have suffered through losing seasons, a bankruptcy filing, bad signing after bad signing, the trading away of young talent, and many other catastrophes that befell this now proud franchise.



So, I asked myself, are we fair weather fans??? Do these passionate fans that I see at Staples year after year, game after game, only don their jerseys when we are winning???



I went to hockeyattendance.com for answers, and you are not going to believe what history says….



I decided to look at the Chicago Blackhawks attendance figures, and look at what history says….





Chicago Blackhawks Regular Seasons

Season Primary Arena Average % Capacity # Games Total

2005-2006 United Center 13,319 67.60% 41 546,075

2006-2007 United Center 12,727 -4.40% 64.50% -3.00% 41 521,809

2007-2008 United Center 16,814 32.10% 85.30% 20.70% 41 689,377

2008-2009 United Center 21,783 29.60% 110.50% 25.20% 40 871,337

2009-2010 United Center 21,357 -2.00% 108.30% -2.20% 40 854,267

2010-2011 United Center 21,423 0.30% 108.70% 0.30% 41 878,356

2011-2012 United Center 21,534 0.50% 109.20% 0.60% 41 882,874

2012-2013 United Center 21,776 1.10% 110.40% 1.20% 24 522,619

2013-2014 United Center 21,640 -0.60% 109.80% -0.70% 42 908,859

1997-2008 were some pretty lean years for the Hawks due to them reaching the playoffs only 1 time during that span. 2008-2009 marks the season where they reached the WCF and lost to the Red Wings. Hockey is definitely back in the Windy City.



But wait a second. What about those years from 2005-2008 before there was success and now a waiting list for Blackhawks tickets??? Were hockey fans worldwide migrating to Chicago??? Was there an influx of born ‘Hawks fans??? Or does success breed interest??? Obviously the team started making good decisions and fans began coming to the games.



Surely that would be the case for the “Bandwagon” fans of the LA Kings. I almost cringed at what I would see during our lean seasons…

LA Kings Regular Seasons

Season Primary Arena Average % Capacity # Games Total

2005-2006 Staples Center 17,839 98.50% 41 731,405

2006-2007 Staples Center 16,859 -5.50% 93.10% -5.40% 41 691,229

2007-2008 Staples Center 16,583 -1.60% 91.50% -1.50% 40 663,326

2008-2009 Staples Center 16,489 -0.60% 91.00% -0.50% 41 676,042

2009-2010 Staples Center 17,313 5.00% 95.60% 4.60% 41 709,853

2010-2011 Staples Center 18,083 4.40% 99.80% 4.30% 41 741,404

2011-2012 Staples Center 18,119 0.20% 100.00% 0.20% 39 706,636

2012-2013 Staples Center 18,179 0.30% 100.30% 0.30% 24 436,295

2013-2014 Staples Center 18,147 -0.20% 100.20% -0.20% 41 744,025

2002-2009, the LA Kings DID NOT Qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet look at the attendance figures & capacity percentages during those non-playoff years, and compare them to the Chicago Blackhawks attendance figures during the same time periods.



History says that the Bandwagon is parked in Chicago, and has never had a reason to come out west because we have always supported our hockey team at Staples Center even during the worst of times for our beloved franchise.



Next time someone refers to you as a bandwagon fan because you proudly wear your LA Kings shield, take solace in the fact that history says different….