Using Machine Learning to Predict National Hockey League Average Home Game Attendance

Research predicting National Hockey League average attendance is presented. The seasons examined are the 2013 hockey season through the beginning of the 2017 hockey season. Multiple linear regression and three machine learning algorithms – random forest, M5 prime, and extreme gradient boosting – are employed to predict out-of-sample average home game attendance. Extreme gradient boosting generated the lowest out-of-sample root mean square error. The team identifier (team name), the number of Twitter followers (a surrogate for team popularity), median ticket price, and arena capacity have appeared as the top four predictor variables.