HIGHLIGHTS
- The PWHL drew 18,006 fans at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, setting a new U.S. attendance record for women’s professional hockey
- It’s the fourth time the league has broken the American record in just its second season
- Full details on the record’s progression, Hilary Knight’s return from injury, and the Sirens’ playoff push below
The PWHL packed Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. 18,006 fans showed up to watch the New York Sirens host the Seattle Torrent, setting a new U.S. attendance record for a women’s professional hockey game.
It’s the fourth time the PWHL has broken its own American attendance mark this season. Seattle’s home opener at Climate Pledge Arena drew 16,014. A Takeover Tour game between Montreal and New York in Washington pulled 17,228. Then Seattle topped that with 17,335 in their first game back from the Olympic break. Each time the bar gets raised, the league clears it again.
The overall women’s hockey attendance record still belongs to Montreal and Toronto, who drew 21,105 to the Bell Centre during the PWHL’s inaugural season in April 2024. That number probably won’t fall unless the league goes outdoors.
Saturday’s game had plenty of buzz beyond the record. Hilary Knight, Seattle’s captain, was playing just her second game back after tearing her MCL while representing the U.S. at the Winter Olympics. The 36-year-old has been one of the most recognizable names in women’s hockey for over a decade, and a lot of fans in the building were there to see her on the ice at MSG.
The Sirens came in needing a win to stay in the playoff hunt, sitting three points behind Ottawa for the final Walter Cup Playoffs spot. Seattle is in last place but has played spoiler before. The league also crossed the 2 million all-time attendance mark last week during a game in Chicago, another milestone for a league that didn’t exist two years ago.
Women’s hockey at the highest level keeps growing. Selling out the World’s Most Famous Arena is just the latest proof.
