DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Professional Women’s Hockey League is in its inaugural season. This past weekend, they made a stop at Little Caesars Arena and they put on quite the show for hockey fans in Detroit. PWHL Ottawa lost to PWHL Boston in a shootout thriller. Detroit doesn’t have a professional women’s team of their own just yet, but the support is certainly there despite challenges that the growth of the sport might face.
“It’s my whole life, it’s my whole life too,” said members of the U-10 Metro Junior Jets girls hockey team.
13,376 fans filled Little Caesars Arena for an attendance that broke the US record for largest crowd for a professional women’s hockey game.
“I think it’s something these young girls deserve,” said Megan Keller, Michigan native and PWHL Boston player. “It’s something to look up to. It’s called Hockeytown for a reason.”
Despite Hockeytown and the substantial presence of competitive junior and travel hockey throughout the state, high school hockey is not a sanctioned sport for girls in Michigan. In the 2022-23 season, there are only 41 schools playing girls hockey combining or cooperating to make up only 19 teams. Geoff Kimmerly is the director of communications for the MHSAA. He said the sport has been on their radar for a while, but the numbers of participation are just not there right now.
“School based girls hockey is an option and it’s a great option,” said Kimmerly. “It’s a matter of getting those numbers up to where other sports have been when we have begun to consider sponsorship on our part or a state wide tournament on our part.”
Elizabeth Bruso and Kylie Drys play for the Livonia Knights. They have only ever played travel hockey because high school hockey has never been an option for them.
“It kind of surprises me, but at the same time it doesn’t. There is the room to go there, but it just needs to be introduced,” said Bruso.
Taking it one step further, throughout the entire state of Michigan, there is not one single NCAA Division I women’s hockey program. Not at Michigan or Michigan State, not at Northern Michigan or Michigan Tech. Charlie Keider is a hockey fan, father, and coach. His daughter plays hockey and he would love to see more opportunities for her.
“It is surprising, especially with the amount of universities with men’s programs,” said Keider. He added that he thinks girls growing up in Michigan are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the same type of high school and college opportunities as other states. “Absolutely. There are few girls playing out there tonight who couldn’t play in their home state or in front of their home state fans.”
But that is where the PWHL fills a void for young hockey players and fans in Michigan. Senior Vice President of PWHL Hockey Operations Jayne Hefford says one of the missions of the PWHL is to inspire young girls to get more involved in the sport, both on and off the ice.
“You can’t be it if you can’t see it. For us, it’s about exposing these players and creating visibility for them.”
It is a visibility that hasn’t always been there. Keller recalls if she wanted to watch women’s hockey, she had to wait to turn on the TV every four years during Olympic coverage. When she was growing up in metro Detroit, she idolized Nicklas Lidstrom, simply because she didn’t have any women players to watch.
“Hopefully there were a lot of young girls in the crowd tonight and now have a dream and something to look up to and look forward to when they’re our age.”
The biggest stars of women’s hockey playing in front of the future stars of the game. Members of the Jets said it is amazing to be able to see girls out there on the ice, one even saying how much she looks up to them and hopes that “one day I hope I’ll be on that ice.”
The buzz that the PWHL provided Detroit with was palpable. The atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena for the game was special. Hefford knows that and says it surpassed the PWHL’s expectations.
“Detroit is a market that we have looked at very closely for a while. I cannot imagine this will be the last time we’re here,” said Hefford.
