Playoff hunt rejuvenated a weary hockey town

Stephen Nealley missed maybe five Colorado Avalanche home games over the past two-plus decades as a season-ticket holder. The 66-year-old Denver resident and his wife, Cindy, are now reminded of hockey’s golden age in Denver.

“They’re getting close,” Nealley said of the team.

Colorado solidified itself among the sport’s most passionate fan bases with an NHL record for consecutive sellouts (487) between 1995 and 2006 with a pair of Stanley Cups in between. It’s been a steep drop-off since. Last season, home attendance slipped to an average of 14,835, No. 25 out of 30 teams, mirroring a 22-win team that marked a franchise low for points (48). The atmosphere inside the Pepsi Center suffered, because, as Nealley explains, “people just expected them to lose.” But those dreadful days are gone. Just ask Nealley, whose expectations were mountain high as he headed into the Pepsi Center for what turned out to be Colorado’s playoff-clinching 5-2 victory over St. Louis in the teams’ last game of the regular season were mountain high.

“It will be packed to the roof, if you can even find a ticket,” Nealley said. “I wear hearing aids, and I actually turn them off during games. You can feel the building vibrate.”

Colorado’s average home attendance increased to an average of 15,524 this season entering the finale. That figure still ranks No. 25 in the league, but the trend line is going up. The team also reports more than 95 percent of season-ticket holders have renewed their seats.

Colorado’s television audience on Altitude also rebounded. The network said viewership among all adults grew 22 percent with its primary demographic — adults ages 25-54 – receiving a 59 percent boost. The Avs also cited growth in social media engagement among fans on Twitter. The account, @Avalanche, is nearing 451,000 followers, an 18.9 percent uptick from a year ago.

“The connection between our players and our fans is growing every day,” said Declan Bolger, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s chief marketing officer. “All the guys are getting nicknames. That’s always a good sign, right? That’s the magic that’s happening here. We’ve always known this is a great hockey and Avalanche town, but you’ve now got a club that people are excited about.”

Josh Fugazzotto, 35, has purchased Avalanche season tickets for the past several years and was part of a large fan contingent Thursday night at Blake Street Tavern for Colorado’s official watch party for the San Jose game.

Fugazzotto said Avs hockey went from “It can’t get any worse” to “We’re one game away from being in the playoffs. I love it.” He said the fan-culture shift was most evident whenever the Chicago Blackhawks visited the Pepsi Center this season.

“You didn’t even hear them, which is pretty amazing when you look around at how many Blackhawks fans you see,” Fugazzotto said. “They would start cheering for the Blackhawks and it would just disappear.”

Nealley, who first watched games inside Mcnichols Arena, knows what it’s like to follow a championship contender. He’s hoping a new generation of Avalanche faithful can learn that themselves soon enough.

“I think we’ve seen a steady increase of fans, but they also seem to be more energetic,” Nealley said. “When I’m out and I’m wearing an Avalanche jacket, it’s amazing how many people talk to me about it. It’s always a chance to tell them, ‘You ought to come out to watch them.’ ”