Women’s professional hockey is coming to Hockeytown, with the Professional Women's Hockey League on Wednesday designating Detroit as the first of what could become four expansion markets for next season.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer hailed the news in a press release.
"Detroit sports fans are the best in the world. Michiganders already make up so much of the PWHL’s talent, as well as much of the Olympic gold winning teams, and we’re ready to build on Michigan’s hockey momentum. This will inspire more young girls and women who play hockey in arenas and backyards across our state to follow their dreams right here in Michigan."
Detroit’s selection is the result of the tight relationship the PWHL has with the city’s Ilitch family, whose holdings include the Red Wings. And it reflects the success the league has enjoyed in playing four neutral-site games at the NHL team’s home.
“I think from the get-go, we have really felt the passion that this city and state have for hockey and the PWHL,” executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press. “I think it’s the perfect place for us to grow.”
Detroit hosted the PWHL’s first neutral-site game during its inaugural season in 2024, which Scheer credited for inspiring the league launching its multicity “Takeover Tour” the past two years. The four games at Little Caesars Arena, which will serve as the team’s home, attracted a combined attendance of 53,626, including 15,938 in March in the PWHL’s first game broadcast to a U.S. national TV audience.
A half-hour news conference took place inside Little Caesars Arena, and featured a video with a car revving over video of downtown Detroit and scenes from past Takeover Tour games.
