I love hockey. You love hockey (hopefully). Now let me ask you: What’s better than hockey? More hockey. Think about it. It’s like hockey, but more. And, oh? There’s a new professional hockey league looking to expand to a city that has a big hockey market and a co-habitable rink? Why do I hear faint choruses singing from the heavens above our beautiful gray Pittsburgh skies?
On March 17, 2024, Pittsburgh hosted its first PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) game between Toronto and Montreal as an exposure initiative, and according to the NHL, 8,850 fans were in attendance at PPG Paints Arena. This is the largest turnout for a professional women’s sporting event in the city to date. It might also surprise you that this number is higher than the ones tabulated on some weekday games for the Pittsburgh Penguins — you know, the multi-billion-dollar market Pittsburgh Penguins? It’s so exciting guys.
Tragically, I was not in town at the time of this monumental game, but my dear hockey-loving pal Tommy was in attendance. He sent me videos and reported back to me with basically what I expected to hear given the general enthusiasm and numbers — the PWHL is hockey that has a future here.
The PWHL is in the midst of a flourishing inaugural season where one doesn’t have to look very far to see its preliminary success. The league has announced that thus far, they’ve sold all of their merchandise, boosted local hockey economies significantly, and have consistently sold half of the Bell Centre’s seats in Montreal after first selling all 21,105 seats for Montreal’s home opener. The league is hitting their stride, so it comes as no surprise that they plan to expand. As early as the 2025-26 season, the league says it aims to expand to one or two new cities in efforts to continue to grow their presence.
In my unbiased opinion, Pittsburgh seems like an absolute no-brainer. Let us consider the criteria the PWHL is looking at for immediate growth. They want a city that has a hockey market? Pittsburgh is consistently placed in the 10 largest hockey markets in the NHL, with a fanbase that has evidently proven its interest. They want a city with a rink that’s flexible? Outside of the Penguins, there are only concerts and other rentals using the space. They want a city with pre-existing girls’ hockey initiatives up and running? We’ve got the Pittsburgh Pennies Girls Hockey Program and Steel City Selects, among others.
Though if we say this still isn’t enough, we can think situationally. The Pittsburgh Penguins are at the moment struggling. A hockey fan here with one team runs into a dead end when their team is unsuccessful. Many fans aren’t used to the tradition of hockey excellence that’s been broken these past years with consecutive missed playoff appearances, too. Ideally, we’re not having this conversation, because women’s hockey should and can stand fully on its own. The reality, however, is that the hockey market and the NHL are still mostly synonymous, and tapping into a diversion of attention could be a huge factor for competitive women’s hockey.
Pittsburgh is no doubt already on their list of soon-to-be, and of course, it seems inevitable that given PWHL’s successful test run here, it’s only a matter of time before a team lands here, but given what I’ve gone over here, I strongly believe we’ll be seeing a women’s team next year.
Pittsburgh loves hockey. Pittsburgh has hockey money. See you soon, PWHL.
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