While the Edmonton Oilers are off to a hot start this fall, one of the hottest topics in Oil Country has been about the team’s dip in attendance.
Through their first eight home dates of the 2026-27 season, the Oilers are averaging 17,308 fans at Rogers Place. That’s a drop of exactly 1,000 from the season-long average attendance of 18,308 in 2025-26.
The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a victory in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
Rogers Place houses 18,347 for Oilers games, meaning that the team is playing to 94.3% capacity, which ranks in the lower half of the NHL. There have been just two sellouts so far this season: Edmonton’s home opener against the Vancouver Canucks, and the annual visit from the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is always a hot ticket. If those two games are excluded, Edmonton’s average attendance sinks to 16,691, which represents 91% capacity.
When Edmonton hosted the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 15, attendance was just 16,176. On Oct. 22, only 16,420 fans turned out to watch the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Those two crowds are Edmonton’s smallest since 2022, when attendance was still returning to normal following the pandemic.
The Oilers have already had more crowds below capacity this season than in all of 2025-26, when just five games failed to produce a sellout. It was just two seasons ago, in 2024-25, when all 41 of Edmonton’s home games drew a packed house. Since moving to Rogers Place in 2016, the Oilers have never averaged less than 17,510 fans for a season, excluding 2020-21 and 2021-22, which were both impacted by the pandemic.
It’s not just the actual data that is conspicuous: a simple glance around the arena during most games suggests that the “butts in seats” number is even lower than official attendance.
It’s plain as day that fewer fans are going to see the Oilers. But what’s not as clear is why attendance has taken such a downturn. Here are a few possible reasons:
Game Affordability
At the start of the season, Canada Sports Betting estimated the cost for a family of four to attend a game at all 32 NHL venues. Edmonton ranked as the ninth most expensive outing in the NHL, at a cost of $1,206.54, which is nearly 15% above the league average. That figure is the sum of four tickets, two beers, two soft drinks, four hot dogs and one parking spot.
Excluding concessions and parking, the cost of four tickets to see an Oilers game at Rogers Place was $1,128.14, which ranks as the eighth most expensive in the NHL. Interestingly, Edmonton was found to have the fifth-cheapest parking, at $14.01.
But no matter how you slice it, that’s one heck of an expensive night out. Plus, you don’t need to be an economist to know that times are tougher these days for a lot of people, who just might not have that kind of disposable income.
TV Alternative
There’s also the alternative of watching games at home. This isn’t the 1980s or 90s when only a portion of games would be televised. Every game can now be viewed from the comfort of one’s couch.
It’s true that there’s been some frustration expressed by fans about needing to subscribe to multiple services to watch all Oilers games, but here’s the breakdown: Fans in the Edmonton market will be able to watch 40 of the Oilers’ 42 games at Rogers Place this season with a direct subscription to Sportsnet, which costs $34.99 per month. Edmonton’s other two home games will air on Prime Video, which costs $9.99 monthly.
Even the combined cost of Sportsnet and Prime Video for a month is significantly less than the cheapest seat on Ticketmaster for any given game at Rogers Place.
Signing Backlash
From signing forward Evander Kane to hiring Stan Bowman as general manager, the Oilers have opened their doors to some controversial figures in recent years. That trend continued during the 2026 offseason when Edmonton named Mike Babcock as its new head coach. Babcock had been out of the NHL for three years after resigning from the Columbus Blue Jackets amid reports that he invaded the privacy of players.
None of these moves seemed to hurt the Oilers, however. Babcock, in fact, already seems to have won over a large portion of the fanbase.
Edmonton Oilers forward Alex Formenton protects the puck from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyrel Bauer during a 2026 preseason game at Rogers Place. (Photo by: Perry Nelson/Imagn Images)
But the straw that finally broke the camel’s back may have come in September when Edmonton signed winger Alex Formenton to a one-year contract. One of five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team who were charged with sexual assault and later acquitted, Formenton had been out of the NHL since 2022.
Edmonton’s most famous fan, Mary Loewen, aka “Mama Stanley”, said she could no longer support the Oilers and was far from alone in expressing those sentiments: her petition for the Oilers to reverse the signing of Formenton has drawn over 75,000 signatures.
Loewen hasn’t been seen at any Oilers games this season in her famous sequined Stanley Cup costume, and it’s safe to say she’s not the only ticketholder who’s elected to stay home in protest.
Fan Behavior
The sight of a fight breaking out in the stands or concourse at an Oilers game is unfortunately not that uncommon. Some fans might, understandably, feel a bit unsafe.
Furthermore, the crowd isn’t always PG-rated. Whether drunkenness, use of profanity, or flashing the camera, the conduct of some folks that attend Oilers games can at times create an environment that parents might not feel is appropriate for their children, and that others simply are not comfortable with, period.
By no means is this type of behavior unique to Oilers games. Anyone who’s been to an NFL stadium knows that. But such issues can be a deterrent to attending, all the same.
A huge draw in sports these days is promotional games, themed on popular movies and shows or featuring giveaways of collectibles like bobbleheads, just to give a couple of examples. Pretty much every team across leagues has embraced these as a way to get fans through the turnstiles.
The Oilers have 13 theme nights this season: Home Opener, Indigenous Celebration, Hockey Fights Cancer, Remembrance Day, Oilers Next Gen, Ukrainian Heritage, Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation, Black Excellence, Lunar New Year, Women in Sport, Celebrating Pride, Celebrating Oil Country, and Fan Appreciation.
The vast majority of these games are based on social causes and community initiatives, all very much worth supporting. But there are almost no games with “fun” promotions, the likes of which give a bit of added value to the consumer.
For comparison, the Winnipeg Jets have 27 promotional games this season. Their theme nights mark many of the same initiatives and causes as do the Oilers, but also include eight games with giveaways, such as goalie masks, mittens, hats, and beer boots.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens have 21 “special event” games in 2026-27. They also include several nights dedicated to causes and initiatives, but have more than a dozen giveaway or theme games, such as their famous annual mascot party.
Pick any other team in the NHL, whether in Canada or down south, and Edmonton simply doesn’t stack up when it comes to promotional games. The Oilers should absolutely continue with all their theme games that support the community. But with a 42-game home schedule, they could very easily add another 5-to-10 nights with fun themes and giveaway items.
Time Change
Even as the Oilers continue to put a very entertaining and successful product on the ice, their attendance could sink even further.
As of Nov. 1, Alberta is now on permanent Alberta Time (ABT) and will no longer be changing clocks in the fall or spring. This shift has resulted in a number of Oilers games being scheduled later, including a pair of games at 9 p.m. ABT, which will be the latest start times for a game in franchise history.
It will be interesting to see if this has an adverse effect on attendance, especially if those games happen to fall on frigid winter nights with less-than-ideal road conditions, when many would prefer to stay at home, warm, safe, and able to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Small Sample
But with all of this said, eight games over one month are too small of a sample size to start drawing major conclusions. It’s possible the Oilers could sell out their remaining 34 home games and finish the season with an average attendance at almost 99% capacity.
It’s also possible that attendance could continue at its current rate, or, as mentioned, slip even more. Only time will tell if this is a genuine concern for the Oilers.
Free Newsletter
Get Edmonton Oilers coverage delivered to your inbox
In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.