PWHL sets U.S. attendance record in Detroit as part of Takeover Tour
The league previously set the U.S. attendance record with 13,736 fans at a game in Detroit last season – which was later broken in Denver in January 2025 – and the 14,288 fans at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night took it up a notch.
The league also announced that it officially eclipsed 1 million fans in attendance at PWHL games during the first period of the game, which is part of the league’s nine-game “Takeover Tour” across North America.
The PWHL’s total attendance currently stands at 1,001,648 fans just over 14 months since the league’s launch in January 2024, according to a press release.
THAT ONE MILLION MOMENT! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/VNrNbxKbPg
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) March 17, 2025
“This is truly a ‘pinch me’ moment,” said Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s executive vice president of business operations. “The overwhelming support from fans, the energy in the arenas, and the league’s rapid growth all highlight how much people are connecting with the PWHL.
“Today is a moment we’ll always remember, and we’re grateful to the fans of Detroit for celebrating it with us in such a big way.”
New York defeated Minnesota 4-1 in regulation to keep the team – currently in last place – in the mix heading into the final stretch of the PWHL’s second season. Local Michigan forwards Elle Hartje, Abby Roque and Taylor Girard all started the game for the Sirens. Defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins, who played for the Little Caesars youth team, played for the Frost.
The new attendance record comes as the league is in the final stages of evaluating expansion proposals for up to two new teams that could launch as early as next season. And Detroit has long looked like a legitimate candidate.
Jayna Hefford, the league’s executive vice president of hockey operations, called the city affectionately known as “Hockeytown” an obvious market the league would “love to be a part of” at the first game hosted in Detroit last season.
“Although not in our Original Six, it’s somewhere that we still, I think, have our eyes on,” she said. “And tonight has just been another proof point that this is a market that loves hockey and I think loves women’s hockey.”
League executives have been tight-lipped about where new teams could land, but have said they will be examining everything from market size, the fan base, youth hockey participation, facilities and the economic opportunities in each market.
Given the attendance at the last two games, there is an appetite for women’s hockey in Detroit and a strong grassroots system, with programs like Little Caesars and HoneyBaked Hockey Club. According to USA Hockey, Michigan ranked fourth in female hockey registration last season only behind Minnesota, Massachusetts and New York – three states that already have PWHL franchises.
The city is situated well geographically to the league’s current footprint, with six teams in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York and Minnesota. But, the top priority, according Scheer, is going to be the availability of game and practice venues.
“Where will we play the games?” she said at a press conference last month. “Is the (arena) up to the level of professionalism that we would like for our athletes?”
The NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons are full-time occupants at LCA, which also hosts plenty of concerts and other events. So it’s fair to wonder if LCA would really be able to accommodate a third team full-time. At the very least, a women’s professional team in Detroit might play home games during the week or in the afternoons.
USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., less than 30 miles outside of Detroit, is a potential alternative, but with a 3,500 capacity it would be on the small side. There is a practice facility situated within LCA, but a women’s team would need to share that ice time with the Red Wings.
Scheer said an announcement on whether expansion will happen next season or not should be in the coming weeks.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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