The 2025 PWHL Takeover Tour was a smash hit, with the second-year league’s nine-game out-of-market series drawing record-breaking crowds across North America.
Built as both a marketing push and a way to size up cities for future expansion, the Takeover Tour has given hockey fans access to the PWHL from Seattle to Québec City.
"The PWHL Takeover Tour has been one of the most rewarding initiatives since our inception — for our fans, our athletes, and our staff," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.
Record-setting crowds packed PWHL Tour stops
According to a Friday press release, a total of 123,601 fans visited the Tour, setting a new US attendance record for professional women’s hockey with 14,018 cheering in Denver on January 12th — a mark that fell just over two months later when 14,288 fans filled Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on March 16th.
More than half the games rank in the PWHL’s Top-10 most attended matchups, with the Takeover Tour's January 8th Vancouver stop registering fourth on the list with its 19,038-strong sellout crowd.
Even more, the league estimates that 80% of the Tour's attendees witnessed their first-ever PWHL game, making the series a rousing success in expanding the league's reach and growing the game beyond its six home markets.
"Across the nine stops, we connected with new fans, grew the game, and gave audiences the opportunity to experience the unparalleled excitement of a PWHL game live," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer.
"This Tour created core memories for our fans and players and its success is a true testament to the passion and support we’re seeing across North America."
Already looking deep into the future, the Tour also gave 945 hockey-playing girls access to clinics and meetings with PWHL stars — a move that Hefford hopes inspires the young athletes to aim for pro careers of their own, now that the league has paved the path into "an achievable goal."
The PWHL is racking up milestones, with the second-year pro women's hockey league officially passing the one-million-fan mark on Sunday.
The record-clinching game came during the league's penultimate 2025 Takeover Tour matchup, after 14,288 fans turned up to Detroit's Little Caesars Arena to see the New York Sirens take down the Minnesota Frost 4-1 on Sunday.
To honor the milestone, players tossed signed special "PWHL One Million Fans" pucks to fans during a commemorative timeout during the game's first period.
After averaging around 5,500 fans per game last season, the league has seen a 7,000 attendance average so far this season, resulting in the current all-time official tally of 1,001,648 fans.
Across its 70 completed second-season games, the PWHL has already racked up 518,118 attendees, surpassing the league's total attendance of 483,530 fans from all 85 games last season — inclusive of the PWHL's first-ever playoffs.
"This is truly a 'pinch me' moment," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer. "The overwhelming support from fans, the energy in the arenas, and the league’s rapid growth all highlight how much people are connecting with the PWHL."
"Today is a moment we’ll always remember, and we’re grateful to the fans of Detroit for celebrating it with us in such a big way."
Detroit makes a case for PWHL expansion team
Sunday's special out-of-market matchup also set a new US attendance record for pro women's ice hockey, further boosting the city's case to claim a PWHL expansion team.
“It's another extremely big win for the sport globally,” Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield told reporters after Sunday’s game. "It’s important to tip our hockey helmet to Detroit."
Detroit's new US record comes one year to the day after the Michigan metropolis set the then-national attendance record at the league's first-ever Takeover Weekend, when 13,736 fans watched Boston defeat Ottawa 2-1 on March 16th, 2024.
With the PWHL eyeing expansion, announcing last November that it intends to increase from its current six-team roster to eight teams by the time the puck drops on the 2025/26 season, the enthusiasm of Detroit hockey fans could put the city at the top of the league's potential market list.
"To see the league grow so rapidly is a reflection of the dedication of our players, who demonstrate their world-class talent every day, as well as the countless individuals behind the scenes who work relentlessly to ensure the league's success," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.
"The passion and support from our fans has been incredible, and this is only the beginning."