January 1, 2024, is a date that has been long awaited by women's hockey fans the world over. For the first time, all the best players in the world will be playing in a single professional league.
After years of fractured competition and infighting among subgroups looking to spearhead the premier women's professional league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) will begin play when New York and Toronto meet up in the circuit's inaugural game. In all, six teams will compete in 2024, playing in hockey hotbeds throughout the United States and Canada.
One of the stated goals of the PWHL was to play in professional-quality venues, as previous leagues had played in smaller rinks and had experienced nomadic existences in many cases. Thus far, the response from fans has been overwhelming, as ticket sales have been strong in the six league cities.
Stadium Journey takes a look at the six inaugural venues the teams will be calling home for the 2024 season. Click on the links to view our existing reviews of each venue. We hope to soon be adding reviews of the PWHL game day experiences in each of the six venues to our website.
The Tsongas Center is the home of the UMass Lowell RiverHawks and the former home of the American Hockey League's Lowell Lock Monsters and Devils. Located roughly a half hour northwest of Boston, this venue should be a strong draw for fans from the hockey hotbeds north of Boston, including the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire. Even fans located south of the city won't have too hard of a time reaching Lowell by Interstate 495.
The Minnesota entry of the PWHL will play in what is by far the largest venue in the league, the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. They are the only team to be playing in an NHL facility full-time. The upper deck and part of the lower deck will be cordoned off for PWHL games. Minnesota is the only team not located within 400 miles of another team.
Montreal - Verdun Auditorium - Capacity 4,114
Located in the Montreal suburb of Verdun, the Auditorium was built in 1938. Over the years it has been home to many squads from the Quebec Major Junior League and other circuits. The Montreal Les Canadiennes of the CWHL were slated to play here before the league folded in 2019. As part of their agreement, significant renovations were undertaken. Four games are scheduled to be played at Place Bell, home of the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket.
Perhaps the most controversial placement of a team was putting the New York entry in Bridgeport, Connecticut, located 60 miles from New York City. On a good day, the drive will take an hour from downtown New York. Total Mortgage Arena currently serves as the home to the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League. New York plans to play in venues all around New York City, with 5 games to be played in Bridgeport, 4 at the UBS Arena, home of the NHL's New York Islanders, and three to be determined.
Home to the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League, Ottawa has perhaps shown the strongest ticket sales off the bat, as several games have already sold out at TD Place. TD Place was the site of the original Women's World Hockey Championship in 1990.
Perhaps best known as the site of the former Maple Leaf Gardens, Mattamy Athletic Centre is now the home of the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold hockey teams. Shortly after tickets were made available, season ticket memberships completely sold out, meaning the Toronto team would be playing before a full house all year long.