‘They have everything to succeed’: PWHL stars praise Detroit ahead of potential expansion
The arena was busy. The crowd was teed up. The intensity was high. The action on the ice was great.
That might sound like a playoff atmosphere to some, but on a Saturday afternoon in March in the city of Detroit, it was the scene of a neutral-site PWHL game between the Montreal Victoire and New York Sirens. Yet, the energy brought by nearly 16,000 fans made it seem like much more.
For the fourth time in three seasons, and second time this year, the top women’s league in the world has hosted a game at Little Caesars Arena. The crowds have been pretty consistent, with the home of the Detroit Red Wings setting U.S. women’s pro hockey attendance records in the first two Takeover Tour games. Saturday’s showing proves that the passion for women’s hockey is high in the Motor City.
Now, it’s time for the league to make Hockeytown a permanent home.
The PWHL has been very transparent about its desire to expand from two to four teams for the 2026-27 campaign. There have been many rumors about where the league could add a team – including Denver and Quebec City. Detroit certainly has an established passion for the game as a whole, but the substantial turnouts whenever the best women’s players in the world come to town place Detroit as a certified favorite for expansion.
The official attendance on Saturday was 15,938, the highest of the four Takeover games in Detroit, and the first time the league has seen 15,000 in Michigan’s largest city. There were signs galore calling for a PWHL team, with a few fans creating shirts saying, “This should be a PWHL jersey,” much to the delight of the partisan fans. Patrons were treated to a thrilling game, which saw a pair of goals from Montreal’s Catherine Dubois power a third-period comeback, giving the Victoire a 3-1 win.
While the Sirens were back in Detroit for the second year in a row, it was the first Hockeytown experience for most of the Victoire lineup, including goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, who turned away 23 shots for her 14th win of the year. The Canadian National Team mainstay admitted it was exciting to be a part of the atmosphere.
“I thought the crowd was in the game,” Desbiens said after the game. “The [in-arena] entertainment was awesome. I think the fans, you could tell, really loved it. It was really loud out there.”
Forward Laura Stacey, who potted the clinching third goal on Saturday, was amazed by the amount of support Montreal had.
“I think that’s pretty special to see,” Stacey said. “I know there was a lot of signs out there tonight cheering us on specifically. Who knew we had fans in Detroit? But it’s amazing to see the PWHL, to see women’s hockey thriving in all of these different markets that we get to go on. It makes the road trip pretty special, for sure.”
In the event that the PWHL does add Detroit to its catalog of franchises, the league would presumably play at LCA, bringing up a logistical issue with trying to fit in around 13 home games along with the venue’s packed schedule that includes the Red Wings, Detroit Pistons and numerous concerts and other entertainment.
That said, if crowds will continue to flock to Detroit the way they have for Takeover games over the past, the PWHL might become one of the hottest tickets in town.
“The crowd here was amazing,” Desbiens said. “How we’ve been received as well. I really wish them the best. I think they have everything to succeed around here. They’ve done a great job.”
Victoire forward and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. native Abby Roque, who was on the Sirens team that played at LCA last year, recognizes the impact a team in Detroit could have on the women’s game across the state.
“I think this market, ever since the first year,” Roque explained. “Has done really well in these Takeover games. I think Michigan wants a women’s hockey team, definitely, in general. I mean, the amount of young girls who are at the game who play hockey in Michigan, it does seem kind of, to me, a perfect fit. It was really amazing to see the fans, how into it they are. I… It’s a really passionate fan base, and I’m really excited if, in the future, they get a team.”
Across the four PWHL events in Detroit, the league saw an average attendance of almost 13,307 fans, which would be among the most well-attended venues compared the current group of eight franchises. Motown is one of five cities that was given two Takeover Tour games this season. Edmonton, Chicago, Denver and Halifax are the others.
There has been no reports of when the league would announce expansion for next season, though, if history repeats itself, it could happen soon. The PWHL revealed teams would be added in Vancouver and Seattle in late April last year.