In a comprehensive American hockey-market study by Wallethub, Denver came in sixth overall — primarily because its NHL rank (eighth) and college hockey rank (seventh) both made the top 10. The top five overall cities were Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, New York and Chicago.
Colorado Springs came in 29th on the strength of a ninth-place college hockey ranking and its proximity to the NHL team in Denver.
“We ranked 72 of the largest cities using a total of 17 key metrics that range from ticket prices to stadium capacity to the performance level of each city’s teams,” Wallethub wrote in the report.