The provision of professional hockey entertainment requires massive ticket revenues. As players' salaries have reached soaring heights, the stands in the ice rinks must be filled from one night to the next. This study explores some significant demand factors for hockey that can be considered to affect the public's willingness to buy tickets to hockey matches. In Finland, the liberalisation of alcohol culture is also visible in ice hockey spectators. From the point of view of event organisers, consuming alcoholic beverages is a very profitable business. A hockey match allows alcohol consumption, without social tensions. In Finland, economic considerations do not seem to affect the number of viewers of ice hockey. Similarly, according to the findings of this study, changes in the occurrence of violence have no impact on ratings. On the other hand, the increase in serving alcohol attracts audiences to the stands, as drinking alcohol seems to increase comfort at sporting events. The evenness of the match event also affects the interest of the audience. Hockey spectators pay for their tickets to see their favorite team win in a tight and exciting matchup. At the opera, viewers know the libreto in advance and the outcome of the drama is no surprise to anyone. By contrast, the charm of a hockey match is based on the unpredictability of the outcome. The winner of the match will not be known until 60 minutes; it might be even after the possible overtime and winning goal race.