OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers drew 16,176 people to Rogers Place on Thursday, leaving more than 2,000 seats empty for a home game against one of the NHL’s most exciting young teams. Edmonton entered the night as the league’s last team without a regulation loss and was coming off a dominant win over the Utah Mammoth, extending its record to 6-1-1. The attendance was unusual for a fan base known for its devotion, and has raised questions about whether the empty seats signal a broader change in how supporters view the team.

The Oilers’ average attendance in 2025-26 was 18,308. The Thursday game was the team’s first at home in nearly two weeks, and the opponent was a strong team, making the crowd size stand out further. Rather than a visible protest, the response took the form of people staying away.

The reasons for the lower turnout are varied, but the source account says that many come down to money and friction over the team’s business and cultural decisions. Some longtime season-ticket holders did not renew after an annual ticket price increase at the start of the 2025-26 playoffs. There were also rumblings of dissatisfaction among corporate customers.

Some season-ticket holders were frustrated that the Oilers were taking every penny they could resell through the established resale system, a method many use to recover costs and put the money toward the next season’s package. The team made an unusually strong push to retain customers during the off-season, with people who chose not to renew reporting repeated phone calls and emails urging them to reconsider.

The cost of a game extends beyond admission. Beer costs $20, parking is $30, and food and merchandise add to the bill. An orange construction vest at the home opener, the article argues, does not make fans feel especially valued. Rising gas prices and other demands on household budgets also make discretionary spending harder to justify.

Two Stanley Cup Final runs have brought success, but they may also have left some fans fatigued. An October game may not feel as significant as it did before those playoff runs, while the overall price of attending can make even occasional visits feel out of reach. Fans who go once or twice a year, or accept a ticket from a friend, may be more likely to decline an invitation than season-ticket holders.

The article also points to discontent over the signing of Alex Formenton, with online comments indicating that dissatisfaction remains active. Other potential sources of friction include the ongoing construction in downtown Edmonton, visible homelessness and the opioid epidemic, as well as residual anger over the hirings of Mike Babcock and Stan Bowman and the signing of Evander Kane. A change in the team’s occasional attendees, rather than its regular season-ticket base, could help explain why the effect appeared in the stands.

Other possible influences on Thursday’s crowd included a UFC event described as a unicorn event taking place Saturday, the opening of advance polls in Alberta for a referendum and the Edmonton Elks playing a much cheaper game that Thursday. The article also raises the possibility that some Oilers fans feel taken for granted. It remains unclear whether the attendance was a one-off or the beginning of a trend.

The piece’s author, reflecting on the fan relationship, recalls attending a first Oilers game nearly 10 years ago. On a chilly Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, the team hosted the Minnesota Wild in a low-event, boring game. Jonas Gustavsson started in an Oilers sweater and stopped 31 shots in what the author suggests may have been one of his best performances. Known as “The Monster,” Gustavsson frequently used the poke check in an apparent imitation of Johnny Bower.

In overtime, Gustavsson tried the move again as Mikko Koivu scored for Minnesota. Gustavsson’s jock flew into the author’s section, and the Wild maintained their supremacy over Edmonton. The author was 18, had moved to Edmonton to attend NAIT, and was enjoying city life with student loan and Rutherford scholarship money. A roommate found cheap tickets on one of several online resale sites two hours before the game, and they bought them.

The new Rogers Place, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and a team that was no longer awful made the game feel special. Edmonton’s record at the time was 14-10-2; the team was competent and exciting and would eventually end its record playoff drought. Growing up in Vermilion, about 170 kilometres east of Edmonton, the author had barely considered attending a game. The family had one income, and ticket prices, travel and the time required away from the father’s work schedule made the trip too difficult.

The author and their father watched games at home, which did not make either of them lesser fans. Oil Country included people who lived outside Edmonton and could not see the team in person. Attending was expensive even then, though the article says it cost far less than it does now. Fans without connections or knowledge of the somewhat sketchy resale sites may find a visit to Rogers Place more distant still.

A 2013 comment by then-president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe is presented as a lasting example of how the organization has viewed supporters. “We have two types of fans,” said Lowe. “We have paying customers, and we have people that watch the game that we still care about, but certainly the people that go to the games and support us, we spend a lot of time talking to them, delivering our message.”

The account says the remark still holds water 13 years later, but argues that paying customers’ voices may now be more muted than ever. It describes two groups: those who can afford to attend and those who cannot. Regular attendance requires financial comfort, and travelling from out of town with a family and paying for a hotel can cost $1,000. A trip to Mexico in January may make more sense for some households.

The price and access concerns extend to viewers at home. The NHL’s Frozen Frenzy, which puts every team in action with staggered game starts, was held Tuesday. Fans relying on a basic satellite package saw two pre-season NBA games in the early window across the two networks, with only the Vancouver Canucks versus the New York Islanders available to watch as hockey.

The article describes Canadian fans as a major source of NHL revenue while noting Rogers’ control of the product and its need to recoup the cost of a $7.7 billion USD rights package. Fourteen Oilers games are streaming only. Watching many games requires a Sportsnet+ subscription, while a ++ subscription is needed to see everything viewers want.

Fewer games on ordinary television may push people toward piracy, the piece says. It acknowledges that Rogers has reason to direct customers to its streaming service and that the product cannot simply be given away, while warning that restricting access risks losing viewers. Canada is not guaranteed to continue supporting the NHL as it has in the past.

A 2025 Jumpstart study on the state of youth sport in Canada found that soccer was the top sport by youth registration and hockey was not among the top five. Hockey remained the sport children most wanted to try, but costs were a barrier. The article warns that growing obstacles to enjoying the sport, both in playing and watching it, could hurt its long-term stability and growth.

The NHL has focused attention on growing the game in the United States, elevating hockey from a niche sport toward the mainstream and making it appealing. In Canada, the first Saturday night without Hockey Night in Canada on CBC was replaced by cricket, which the piece cites as another sign of change. Fans can show their frustration by skipping a Thursday game in Edmonton or choosing NCIS over Canucks-Islanders after checking the television guide.

The league reported attendance records across the NHL in 2025-26, while the article says Las Vegas is facing similar local pushback. It closes by posing the question of whether attendance concerns will persist or fade during Edmonton’s homestand. The Oilers’ financial position is substantial: they led NHL teams in revenue in 2024-25, generating $431 million, which was likely boosted by a Stanley Cup Final run. Estimates put average gate revenue for an Oilers regular-season game at $4 million to $5 million.

The franchise is described as a financial powerhouse and the NHL’s fourth-most valuable team, according to Forbes. Ownership has invested heavily in the team’s competitiveness. The empty seats, however, are presented as a development that should draw ownership’s attention.