PWHL on Brink of 1-Million Attendance Milestone as Montréal Dominates

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is on the verge of a historic milestone, with just 23,781 fans needed to pass the 1 million attendance mark in a single regular season. With 976,219 fans through 105 games, the 2025-26 season has already seen a 29% increase in average attendance compared to the previous season. Boston’s sold-out crowd of 17,850 at TD Garden on Saturday ranks second for U.S. arena attendance in women’s hockey history and is the fourth-largest of the season.

Boston’s TD Garden marked the 35th venue to host a PWHL game and the 21st with an active NHL team. The league has sold out nine NHL arenas in three seasons, including stops in Edmonton, Montréal, New York, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington D.C., and Winnipeg. The game at TD Garden was part of a doubleheader with the Bruins and featured a ceremonial puck drop by Hockey Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara alongside Boston captain Megan Keller and Victoire rookie Skylar Irving.

The 16-game PWHL Takeover Tour™ concluded last week in Edmonton with a total attendance of 199,631, averaging 12,477 fans per game. Alberta saw the highest non-primary market attendance with 54,726 across four games, led by a 16,150 crowd at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. Boston’s 5-1 victory over Vancouver on Tuesday marked the largest margin of victory in Takeover Tour games this season, with only four of 16 games decided by more than one goal.

Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens has been dominant, earning the PWHL Player of the Week award after posting a 0.50 goals-against average and .978 save percentage in two games. Her shutout of Boston on Saturday was her seventh of the season and her 17th win, tying Aerin Frankel for the league lead. Desbiens has surrendered just two goals in her last five starts and has a .956 save percentage this season, surpassing her 2025 Goaltender of the Year numbers.

The Victoire (16-4-2-5) are on a 15-game point streak and have set a new league record with 58 points. They could clinch first place outright with a regulation win over Boston on Friday, but the outcome depends on the result of Wednesday’s game between Minnesota and Boston. Ottawa (36 points) holds the final playoff spot with three games remaining, while Seattle and Vancouver are on the brink of elimination ahead of Tuesday’s matchup.

With five teams still in the playoff race, action continues to build toward the Walter Cup Playoffs. Up to three teams could be eliminated this week, with Seattle and Vancouver facing off in a must-win matchup. The race for the 2026 Entry Draft’s first overall pick also heats up as the remaining games for non-playoff teams count toward draft order points.