PWHL sets U.S. women’s pro hockey attendance record with 14,288 fans in Detroit
Hockeytown showed up once again for one of the fastest rising leagues in sports.
For the second year in a row, fans showed up in droves to Little Caesars Arena, once again breaking the U.S. record for attendance for a women’s pro hockey game. 14,288 came out to see the Minnesota Frost take on the New York Sirens in the eighth game of the PWHL Takeover Tour.
YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN HOCKEYTOWN! 🎉
With 14,288 fans in Little Caesars Arena tonight, Detroit has reclaimed the U.S. attendance record for women’s professional hockey!
📰 https://t.co/Hn9gPdx1YS pic.twitter.com/RvXc3oKPui
It narrowly missed the overall women’s hockey record, which took place during the 2022-23 Rivalry Series when 14,551 saw the United States beat Canada at Climate Plegde Arena in Seattle.
Last season, 13,716 people were at the home of the Detroit Red Wings when Boston beat Ottawa in a shootout. That record was broken during the western swing of the Takeover Tour, when 14,018 flocked to Ball Arena in Denver to see the Frost beat the Montreal Victoire.
The attendance is the fourth-largest so far in the Takeover Tour, trailing Vancouver (19,038), Quebec City (18,259) and Edmonton (17,518).
Along with the general passion for hockey in the Mitten, fans from across the state had the chance to see many of their own in action. Four of the six players in the PWHL with Michigan ties were in action. Frost defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins (Plymouth) faced off against Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie), Taylor Girard (Macomb) and Elle Hartje (Detroit) of the Sirens. Roque got in on the scoring, assisting on Jamie Bourbonnais’ tally near the halfway mark of the first period.
The volume in DET has officially been turned up https://t.co/pwHbhS70Dm pic.twitter.com/mPccgYfUNZ
— New York Sirens (@PWHL_NewYork) March 17, 2025Along with another record-breaking crowd, the PWHL also celebrated surpassing one million fans, accomplishing the feat in less than two seasons.
The massive turnout for the game, especially since the game started a little after 7:30 p.m. ET on a Sunday night, is a good sign that the love for hockey in Michigan isn’t limited to the men’s game, even though there isn’t an NCAA D-I Women’s Hockey program in the state, nor is girls high school hockey a varsity sport.
The PWHL is pondering expansion for the 2025-26 season, with the league looking at making its decision in the near future. With the clear support for the women’s game and the league itself, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Detroit is in the running for a franchise if and when the PWHL chooses to expand.