The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has set yet another attendance record. The league’s latest achievement comes as a result of the PWHL Minnesota’s home opener against Montreal at the Xcel Energy Center, where 13,316 fans gathered.
This attendance figure eclipsed the record set just five days prior during the game between Ottawa and Montreal at The Arena at TD Place, where 8,318 spectators witnessed another historic moment for women’s hockey. The momentum continued to build as the PWHL shattered the previous record for women’s professional hockey, held by the 2021-22 Svenska Damhockeyligan (SDHL) championship game between Brynäs and Luleå with 7,765 attendees.
Notably, Saturday’s attendance also marked the largest ever for a women’s hockey game in Minnesota. Stan Kasten, a PWHL advisory board member, expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support, stating, “In a state of 10,000 lakes, over 13,000 fans provided an unforgettably wonderful moment today for everyone connected with the PWHL.”
The PWHL, a relatively new addition to the professional women’s ice hockey scene in North America, features franchises in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto in Canada, as well as Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the New York City area in the US.
Natalie Darwitz, PWHL Minnesota general manager, expressed her pride and gratitude, particularly as the State of Hockey demonstrated unwavering support.
“Living in the State of Hockey, I knew our fans would show up for us, but today, they have taken it to a whole new level,” Darwitz said. “I feel tremendously proud and inspired by our fan support.”
The groundbreaking attendance numbers have broken local records and eclipsed the previous North American record for a regular-season professional women’s hockey game, which stood at 5,938 from December 2016.
