The City of Detroit once again broke the record for U.S. attendance for women's professional hockey as the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) returned.
According to the PWHL, there were 14,288 fans in attendance at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night as the New York Sirens beat the Minnesota Frost 4-1.
In 2024, Detroit drew 13,736 fans for the PWHL takeover game between the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge, but earlier this year, a game in Denver drew 14,018 fans, breaking the record.
Detroit's game was also a historic milestone for the PWHL as the league surpassed one million fans in attendance since its launch. The celebration took place with a special timeout in the first period as fans from both teams went onto the ice.
Since the launch of the league on Jan. 1, 2024, 1,001,648 fans have attended a PWHL game. The league is in its second season and has already exceeded last season's total attendance mark.
“Reaching one million fans is a huge milestone for our league,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. “To see the league grow so rapidly is a reflection of the dedication of our players, who demonstrate their world-class talent every day, as well as the countless individuals behind the scenes who work relentlessly to ensure the league's success. The passion and support from our fans has been incredible, and this is only the beginning.”
The league is set to announce two new teams as part of the expansion process starting with the 2025-26 season, with the league seeking requests for proposals for several markets.
Detroit is one of the expansion candidates, according to reports, as well as Pittsburgh, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
