The PWHL had a record breaking stop in Washington, D.C. this weekend, one that could drive expansion talks for the market. The players felt the support, and the Washington Capitals were thrilled to see the city show up for the "surging" women's hockey scene.
Washington, D.C. doesn't have a PWHL team yet, but the city does own the largest professional women's hockey attendance mark in American history.
Washington fans came out in full force at Capital One Arena in D.C. on the weekend to witness a 2-1 New York Sirens win over the Montreal Victoire. The game was played in front of 17,288 fans, the largest crowd to ever watch a professional women's hockey game, or national team women's hockey game in the USA.
For the NHL's Washington Capitals, it was a culmination of their efforts in recent years to build not only on-ice opportunities for women and girls in the area, but also to build fans through their programming, specifically the ALL CAPS ALL HER platform.
"The record-breaking PWHL game at Capital One Arena is an inspiring reflection of the growth of women’s hockey," said Capitals' senior vice president of marketing Amanda Tischler.
"Moments like these inspire the next generation of hockey players, and on the local level, the Capitals are incredibly proud of the surging female hockey participation in the D.C. region through programming like our ALL CAPS ALL HER platform. We’re thrilled by the support D.C. fans showed the Sirens and Victoire today and equally excited to be part of such a historic record in women’s hockey."
Montreal Victoire forward Hayley Scamurra was on the losing side of Sunday's PWHL Takeover Tour stop in Washington, but she knows that the city was a winner. Scamurra, whose father spent multiple seasons with the NHL's Washington Capitals, and who herself worked for the organization to help grow the women's game, was thrilled to see the turnout.
“It was a pretty special moment for me, for sure. I knew they would show up, but I think this exceeded everyone's expectations. And to beat the U.S. record [by] as much as they did, it's just incredible," said Scamurra following the game. "The energy that they brought, I mean that was the loudest they've ever been. I heard people from the Caps say that was as loud as they've been all season, so I think it's a testament to the people we have in our city.”
The crowd and support from Washington did not disappoint. The players on the ice recognized the support, which could lead to Washington entering the PWHL's expansion conversation.
"It was awesome. In the third, when they were singing along during play, it’s an incredible feeling as a player to know fans are excited to show up, support women’s hockey, and watch the product we put on the ice," said New York's Sarah Fillier of the crowd. "Speaking specifically about this crowd, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people at warm-ups with signs along the glass for us. You can tell there’s a lot of passion in this city for sports, and especially for women’s sports. It was a great crowd, and it would be awesome to come back and play here."