Attendance at National Hockey League games has increased for the first time since the league’s 2004-05 lockout, and TV ratings also have increased year-over-year, the Sports Business Journal reports. Average attendance is up 1.5% for the 628 games this season compared with the 2007-08 season, while viewership on Versus has increased compared with last year. NBC recently had its most-watched NHL regular-season game in 34 years for the 2009 Winter Classic, the journal says.
—Sergio Ibarra