Women's hockey poised to return to Detroit with a mid-March Red Wings-PWHL back-to-back at Little Caesars Arena

Professional women's hockey is coming to Detroit.

It might not be expansion yet, but the Professional Women's Hockey League—which has already set attendance records seemingly wherever it goes—will be visiting Little Caesars Arena as part of "PWHL Takeover Weekend" on March 16th and 17th.

On the 16th, the Red Wings will host the Buffalo Sabres at 12:30, setting the stage for PWHL Boston and PWHL Ottawa to play at 6.  PWHL New York and PWHL Minnesota will play at 3:30 on the same day in the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.

On the 17th, PWHL Toronto and PWHL Montreal will collide at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, hours before the Penguins play the New York Rangers later in the afternoon. 

“Bringing these games to three outstanding venues during Women’s History Month will create an unforgettable highlight of this inaugural PWHL season,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL's Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, in the press release announcing the event. “For fans attending these games and players who are competing on the ice, this will be a great celebration of the advancement and opportunity for women and hockey everywhere.”

LCA has a history of hosting marquee women's hockey games, having hosted the third game in the inaugural Rivalry Series between Canada and the U.S. back in 2019, a game the U.S. won 2-0.  10 players from that game will feature for Ottawa and Boston when the PWHL makes its Detroit debut.  Boston's team also features three Michiganders in Shiann Darkangelo (from Brighton), Taylor Girard (of Macomb), and Megan Keller (of Farmington).

As the league continues a successful inaugural season, expansion of what is presently a six-team league is a natural topic of conversation, and games like the ones in Pittsburgh and Detroit (where the league does not currently have a full-time presence) serve as de facto auditions for potential new teams and fan bases.

With that in mind, Metro Detroit-based hockey fans will not only have a chance to take in an excellent double-header on the 16th but also to demonstrate their enthusiasm for a full-time PWHL presence in the city.

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