The PWHL has seen a “groundswell of enthusiasm for women’s hockey” since the Olympics, with record attendance highlighting the growing popularity of women’s professional hockey.
Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Sarah Nurse stated that, in the past, fans could only watch some of the best female hockey players compete every four years in the winter Olympics.
Millions often tune in to the gold medal game, but there was nowhere to watch them compete afterward. In this Olympics, more than 4.2 million viewers tuned into the women’s hockey gold-medal game on CBC, and 7.7 million tuned in on Peacock and USA Network.
But this year is different.
Enter the PWHL, which started three years ago. Now, fans, new and old, can tune in to watch their favourite Olympians and other professional women’s hockey players compete against each other. 61 athletes from the PWHL represented their countries during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The PWHL entered its third season on Nov. 21 with its original six teams: Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and New York Sirens, along with the two new teams, Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.
During the Olympic break, the PWHL noted in a press release that website traffic was more than five times higher than typical non-PWHL game periods, with 73 per cent of visitors being new to the site
Vancouver goldtender Emerance Maschmeyer said she noticed some PWHL jerseys in the stands during the Olympics.
“I recognized some fans who were there cheering us on. So that’s really special to see, it’s not just family and friends and local fans. We had a lot of fans who flew out to watch us,” Maschmeyer said. “I think it’s a great platform to promote our league and I think that we’ve gained fans from the Olympics.”
Just days after the Olympics concluded, the PWHL reported its two biggest ticket sale days of the season occurred since the first weekend of this season.
Attendance is also up this season by 17 per cent. The Seattle Torrent set a new U.S. arena record for a women’s hockey game with 17,335 fans at their first-ever sellout at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday night against the Toronto Sceptres.
“The groundswell of enthusiasm for women’s hockey comes as the PWHL prepares to showcase the game to larger audiences at three non-primary home venues: Ottawa Charge (April 3 at Canadian Tire Centre); New York Sirens (April 4 at Madison Square Garden); and Boston Fleet (April 11 at TD Garden),” noted a PWHL press release Friday (Feb. 27).
The Vancouver Goldeneyes have their first game back since the break on Sunday when they take on the Toronto Sceptres, and it is expected to be a full house.
About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, court, Vancouver Rise FC, Vancouver Goldeneyes and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. anna.burns@surreynowleader.com Follow Anna on Twitter.