NEW YORK – The NHL said Tuesday it had set a single-season attendance record with more than 22.5 million fans filling arenas and stadiums.

The league said the new mark of 22,560,634 was set with 18 games remaining in the regular season, saying buildings so far have been filled 97% to capacity. The season ends Thursday and the playoffs begin Saturday.

The previous record was 22,436,532 in 2022-23. This is the third season with 32 teams.

Nearly 80,000 people watched the New York Rangers and Islanders play outdoors at MetLife Stadium in February, making it the most attended game in the NHL's 106-year history.

The record also included the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, and Global Series games played at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.

This season is expected to produce record revenue of roughly $6.2 billion.