By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed another successful season both on and off the ice last week. On the ice, the club advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season, winning two playoff rounds in the process.
Off the ice, the Wolf Pack enjoyed another strong year of growth in ticket sales and its footprint in the Greater Hartford Community.
The club enjoyed 19 lower bowl sellouts during the 2023-24 campaign, a mark that helped them see 24 of 36 regular season home games draw a crowd of over 5,000 fans.
Over the course of 36 regular season home games, the Wolf Pack welcomed an average of 5,456 fans to the XL Center in downtown Hartford. This marked the club’s highest single-season average attendance since the 2010-11 season.
This all combined to see the Wolf Pack enjoy a 56% increase in ticket sales since the 2021-22 season.
The 2023-24 season also saw the Wolf Pack continue to expand their footprint in the Greater Hartford Community. The franchise’s beloved mascot, Sonar, made 60 appearances during the season at local schools, community events, community fundraising initiatives, youth sports practices, and more.
Hartford Wolf Pack players and coaches also chipped in, making 23 visits during the season. In addition to traditional visits to local schools and youth hockey practices, Wolf Pack players and coaches made trips to Connecticut Children’s Hospital to donate toys during the holiday season as part of the team’s annual toy drive and to donate the teddy bears following the team’s annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ game.
Players and coaches also stopped by a local soup kitchen in Southington, CT, to assist with lunch service and cleanup.
Over 500 backpacks were donated to teachers in over 20 classrooms in the Greater Hartford area, with Wolf Pack players and front office staff delivering them to students.
The Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation donated over 1,000 tickets during the 2023-24 season. These ticket donations were made as part of fundraising efforts for local schools, youth sports organizations, community initiatives in the Hartford area, and hospitals.
Additionally, some ticket donations were made to organizations that allowed clients to attend a Wolf Pack game who otherwise would not have been able to.
The ‘Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation’ also issued seven grants totaling over $40,000 to Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, The Hartford Police Athletic League (P.A.L.), Children in Placement, Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Hands on Hartford, Covenant Preparatory School, and the Boys and Girls Club of Meriden.
The club also donated over 1,100 pounds of food to Hands on Hartford following their annual food drive on March 16th at the XL Center.
For more information on the Wolf Pack’s community initiatives and the ‘Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation’, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/fan-zone/hartford-wolf-pack-community-foundation.
About Oak View Group (OVG): Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues, and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues, either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since its inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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