12,608 attendees were at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on January 5, 2025. That may sound like a typical Seattle event, but that first Sunday of the new year was anything but typical. That date marked the PWHL arriving in the Emerald City for the Takeover Tour which culminated in a 3-2 shoot out win for the Boston Fleet over the Montréal Victoire.
This was so much more than just a game. It was an event, it was an experience, it was a celebration, it was a hopeful glimpse of what fans hoped would come, and it was, for the league, a scouting expedition. Would Seattle show up? Would the excitement be there? Would the infrastructure work? Would the city be ready?
Of course, the answer to all those questions was a resounding “yes.”
Even though PWHL Seattle is a new team, it won’t be the first time some of these players skate at Climate Pledge Arena. From the Boston Fleet, PWHL Seattle now has Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Lexie Adzija, and Emily Brown. From the Victoire, PWHL Seattle now has Cayla Barnes, Anna Wilgren, Mikyla Grant-Metis, and Mariah Keopple.
As the players reflect on the Takeover Tour and their individual and team experiences, a common thread is woven throughout: these tours are important to the sport, to the communities, to the fans, and to the players.
Players Look Back on Playing at Climate Pledge Arena
Hilary Knight had a few thoughtful takes on her participation in the tour, specifically in Seattle, but also on the overall impact.
Cayla Barnes also experienced Climate Pledge Arena during the Takeover Tour. “Kind of a funny story. We were walking out for the game in the tunnel, and they have suites on the floor in the tunnel, but no one decided to tell us that,” she said. “So we're walking out, and they can see us, but we can't see them, and, all of a sudden, people start screaming and banging, and we're like, ‘What is happening?’ But that kind of encompasses the whole experience. The fans were loud. They were super into it. We felt the love there. Even being a Canadian team they didn't care, they just like loved that women’s hockey was there, and that was something that was really special for us.”
Barnes also noted the impact that these tours have on the fans and the growth of the league. “I think the PWHL does a really good job of engaging with fans, and us, as the players, we engage with the fans a lot,” Barnes said. “When we go to new cities, it's super fun to get out there and engage with young kids or fans that are super interested in the PWHL. Having takeover games in those cities where women's hockey is not the primary sport, or hockey in general, is not the primary sport I think is a really unique idea. I don't think many other leagues do something, like the Takeover Tour, which is super cool. Also, it's just, like I said, an opportunity to really get out in different communities that normally don't get that opportunity to necessarily have hockey or women's hockey, so I think that it's instrumental in helping grow the game not only for like youth, but also for the PWHL.”
Takeover Tours as a Whole
Even though Ottawa didn’t play in Seattle this last season on the Takeover Tour, Natalie Snodgrass was still a part of bringing PWHL games to new markets in Edmonton, Raleigh, and St. Louis. She had fantastic insight on how these tours impacted not just the fans, but the players as well. “Obviously, there’s been a lot of success in Detroit and Quebec City and those games, for players, are very memorable because you play in front of a sold-out NHL-sized arena. How many times in your life are you going to play in front of twenty thousand fans?” she said. “As a player, it’s incredibly special to be in a new place and new environment that doesn’t have a market quite yet. As a fan, oh my gosh. When we went to Edmonton we saw the fans rally behind the Edmonton locals like [Danielle] Serdachny and Masch (Emerance Maschmeyer). It gives me goosebumps.”
Newly drafted and signed, Jenna Buglioni, may not have been a part of the Takeover Tours last season, but she knows what it’s like to be a part of growing the game of hockey. “I definitely think that it's really important, not only for the league as a whole to see what could be potentials for us to expand, whenever that may happen, what markets would be good, but also a big thing for us is the next generation being able to have eyes and see that this is possible,” Buglioni said. “I just played five years in Columbus and women's hockey in Columbus is obviously not the biggest thing, but we're growing it, so I feel like getting in those markets in areas where people maybe haven't gotten the chance to be around hockey and be around the players is really important. I wish I was at the Takeover Tour here, because seeing the content was amazing. Just how many people wanted to be a part of it, and you can tell that people are like itching for a team to get here”
A new PWHL season means new opportunities for new markets. It also means more eyes on the sport and more awareness. It gives additional soon-to-be fans the chance to fall in love with the sport in that live atmosphere that’s truly unlike any other. Fans in locations currently without a PWHL team are eager to see the schedule and have their fingers crossed for a stop nearby.