The PWHL is still weeks away from announcing their schedule as teams are expecting the schedule at some point in September. One item fans will be watching closely is where and when the PWHL Takeover Tour will stop.
According to season ticket releases for fans, PWHL teams will each play 13 home games this season. With a 30 game schedule for each team, it means 16 unaccounted for home games across the league.
Last year, the 2024-25 PWHL Takeover Tour made nine stops including in soon-to-be expansion markets Seattle and Vancouver. Vancouver's game boasted a sold out crowd of 19,038 fans. In total, the nine Takeover Tour stops drew 123,601 fans. Quebec City (18,259) and Edmonton (17,518) also drew impressive crowds, while seven markets broke 10,000 fans with the lone exceptions coming in Buffalo and St. Louis. For the second straight season, Detroit broke the American attendance record drawing 14,288, followed closely by Denver, where a professional women's hockey game in the United States broke the 14,000 fan mark (14,018) for only the second time in history.
The Takeover Tour was paramount to the PWHL's continued attendance growth in their second season, and the league has touted the Tour as an integral part of their offerings.
“Across the nine stops, we connected with new fans, grew the game, and gave audiences the opportunity to experience the unparalleled excitement of a PWHL game live," said Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations. "This Tour created core memories for our fans and players and its success is a true testament to the passion and support we’re seeing across North America.”
“The PWHL Takeover Tour has been one of the most rewarding initiatives since our inception—for our fans, our athletes, and our staff,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. “There will come a time when the league is filled with players who were first inspired as young fans during the Takeover Tour, realizing that professional women’s hockey is an achievable goal.”
Will The League Increase The Takeover Tour To 16 Games
With two home games unaccounted for in each market, the league is likely to increase the size of the PWHL Takeover Tour. Some of the games left off the calendar for the PWHL could be other neutral site games.
In Toronto, the Battle on Bay Street at Scotiabank Arena is likely one, as is a third instalment for the Montreal Victoire at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Last year the Ottawa Charge also played a home game at the Canadian Tire Center and could return.
It would be surprising, given the success of the Boston Fleet's home games at Agganis, where the team will play three times this season, to see the league not attempt to get a game at TD Garden, and New York could perhaps look to play a game at Madison Square Garden, something the league has yet to try. In market games like these could account for a handful of the games that are not included in home totals.
While the PWHL hasn't delved into an outdoor game yet, the league could look at joining the NHL's Outdoor Games in Florida this winter for another showcase of the league.
The PWHL returned to Detroit for a second season, so it would not be surprising to see several return dates for markets from the 2024-25 PWHL Takeover Tour.
Last year the PWHL visited eight NHL markets, with only Quebec City hosting a game without an NHL team. With West Coast expansion underway it's likely the league will consider looking at markets like Las Vegas, various locations in California, Calgary, Saskatoon, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, Winnipeg, or Portland for games.
Other markets the league could look at include Nashville, Florida, Chicago, Wisconsin, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Hamilton, Halifax, Philadelphia, Washington, Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati.