Overview
- The Professional Women’s Hockey League filled Madison Square Garden with 18,006 fans Saturday, setting a new U.S. record for a women’s hockey game.
- New York beat Seattle 2-1 in a shootout, with Sarah Fillier tying the game late in the third period before Maja Nylén Persson netted the decisive attempt.
- It was the first women’s pro hockey game with fans at the Garden, highlighted by a ceremonial puck drop featuring Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss and Flau’jae Johnson.
- League data show a post‑Olympic surge, with average crowds up about 25% year over year and total ticketed attendance on pace to top one million this month.
- Executives are pursuing larger broadcast deals after a one‑off national window on ION, and Stan Kasten said new expansion cities for 2026–27 will be announced within weeks.