Five NHL Cities Primed For Professional Women's Hockey

Professional women's hockey is looking for new homes, and these established and faithful hockey markets, who also have proven track records of supporting women's sport would make excellent landing spots.

The PHF has crossed six NHL markets off the list in Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Minnesota, Buffalo, and New Jersey. But that still leaves 26 cities with existing hockey markets. Here are five NHL cities primed for professional women's hockey:

Not only has Seattle proven the city is hockey-wild, they also have a long and well established history of supporting professional women's sport including the WNBA's Seattle Storm and NWSL's OL Reign. Last year, the city set a new record for attendance at a women's national team game in the United States when 14,551 fans showed up to see USA play Canada in the Rivalry Series. The only thing stopping Seattle from having a professional franchise is geography.

It's a city of champions. The Vegas Golden Knights have been a smashing success and are now Stanley Cup champions, and the city is in love with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, who are the reigning WNBA champions. This city could house and celebrate a women's professional hockey team the way it deserves. Similar to Seattle, it's a geography issue, not a market issue at this point. Perhaps however, thinking outside of the traditional Northeast would help the financial and fan success of a team.

The Chicago Sky (WNBA) and Chicago Red Star (NWSL) have paved the way for this sports loving city. The Chicago region also has a strong youth women's hockey system with alumni including Tessa Janecke, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Jesse Compher, Abbey Murphy, and Savannah Harmon. The arenas are there, the fan base is undoubtedly there, the only thing that's lacking is the team.

In terms of professional women's sport, Canada is largely untested and untapped. That's set to change in the coming years across all sports, and Ottawa will be a target for many. In terms of establishing rivalries, Montreal and Toronto provide geographic foes. Arena space sharing with either the Ottawa Senators or Ottawa 67s is there, and there is a huge interest in youth women's hockey in Ottawa. The city hosted the first official World Championship in 1990. As far back as 2010, the city drew 16,347 to watch Canada and the USA play in an Olympic tune up. In 2013, Canada and Finland drew more than 18,000 for a game. The city needs a team to help retain Ontario's talent.

The Washington Capitals have proven excellent partners with women's hockey, but it's not about NHL partners, because professional women's hockey does not need a men's league to be successful. The NWSL's Washington Spirit are averaging more than 10,000 fans per game this season. The PWHPA played a Dream Gap Tour weekend this season in the city, and the PHF has explicitly stated the city is a target. It's only a matter of time before Washington has more offerings for professional women's sport.