TORONTO – A Professional Women’s Hockey League game between Toronto and Montreal has broken the all-time attendance record for a women’s hockey game.
The league had previously broken attendance records for a women’s professional hockey game – first in Ottawa (8,318) on Jan. 2, and then four days later in Minnesota (13,316); a game in Montreal on Jan. 27 broke the record for the most fans (8,646) at a pro game in Canada. But Friday night’s draw of 19,285 fans at Scotiabank Arena is the largest crowd to watch women’s hockey ever, including at the Olympics, world championships and in the NCAA.
The previous women’s hockey attendance record was 18,013 fans at a preliminary round game between Canada and Finland at the 2013 Women’s World Championship in Ottawa.
“I like to think that I’ve been in some pressure situations or some exciting situations, but even as a middle-aged man walking on the bench, I was emotional,” said Toronto head coach Troy Ryan, who has coached Team Canada to two world championships and Olympic gold. “So you can imagine how some of the players who have fought so long to get these opportunities felt.”
GO DEEPER
Six teams, one draft and a lot of Ikea furniture: How the PWHL was made in six months
“It was so special to see the amount of…
