PWHL Officially Announces Venues

The PWHL has officially announced six venues as homes for their franchises for the inaugural PWHL season beginning January 1.

“Giving our athletes the opportunity to step onto the ice to compete in front of our passionate fans has been the driving force of our efforts, and it’s going to be an exciting reality on New Year’s Day,” said Stan Kasten, PWHL Advisory Board member. “It’s time for the best women’s hockey players in the world to lift our game to greater heights.”

PWHL Toronto will play at Mattamy Athletic Centre, also known as the former Maple Leaf Gardens. Mattamy is currently used as the home ice of Toronto Metropolitan University.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the Toronto Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise to the TMU campus as they make the Mattamy Athletic Centre their home ice for the inaugural season of this highly anticipated league,” said Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor, Toronto Metropolitan University. “This partnership is important to the university and aligns well with our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive campus culture for all. It is essential that we show our continued support for the amplification of women’s sports, and we hope that this wonderful community partnership will inspire others to join in, participate and cheer on not just the Toronto PWHL team, but our TMU Bold teams as well.”

In Ottawa, perhaps the longest known venue is TD Place Arena, home to the OHL’s Ottawa 67s and the original venue for the first women’s World Championship in 1990.

“We are thrilled to call The Arena at TD Place our home,” said Mike Hirshfeld, PWHL Ottawa General Manager. “The history of the arena, including hosting the first ever women’s world ice hockey championship in 1990, is something we are eager to be a part of.”

PWHL Boston will play in Lowell, Massachusetts, roughly 35 minutes outside Boston at the Tsongas Center, home to the UMass Lowell hockey and basketball teams. 

“We’re thrilled to have the Tsongas Center as our home arena – a great facility with an ideal seating capacity of 6,500,” said Danielle Marmer, PWHL Boston General Manager. “Located in Lowell, MA, it’s a hub that’ll draw fans from the Merrimack Valley, North Shore, Southern New Hampshire, and the Greater Boston Area.”

PWHL New York will play in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the 10,000 seat Total Mortgage Arena, home to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.

“Having the privilege to showcase our skills in front of our dedicated fans, in a top-tier arena, represents an opportunity that impeccably aligns with the professional standards upheld by the PWHL,” said Pascal Daoust, PWHL New York General Manager. “It promises to be a premier sports experience not only for our athletes but also our fans, allowing them to gather in greater numbers and take immense pride in standing united behind our team!”

Minnesota will play at the 18,000 seat Xcel Energy Center, which is also home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

“We are thrilled to call Xcel Energy Center our home for our inaugural season,” said Natalie Darwitz, PWHL Minnesota General Manager. “The Xcel Energy Center is a premier venue which has the amenities to provide our players and our fans with a first-rate game experience. The enthusiasm and excitement our players and fans will bring to Xcel Energy Center will guarantee our team having a home ice advantage!”

Finally, the Verdun Auditorium will host PWHL Montreal, seating just over 4000 fans, and also housing the team’s practice facility on a separate rink.

“Hockey fans in Greater Montreal and across the province of Quebec are excited to have a professional women’s hockey team established here,” said Danièle Sauvageau, PWHL Montréal General Manager. “

PWHL Arenas: Locations Being Narrowed

The locations for each of the PWHL’s six franchises are either signed, or nearing complete.

The venues will vary in size, but one similarity is that PWHL franchises will not be inhabiting a venue with several tenants, rather they’re almost exclusively playing at arenas that currently have only a single main inhabitant.

News leaked this week of the long expected location for Minnesota’s PWHL franchise, which according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press will be Excel Energy Center. The rink, which seats roughly 18,000 fans is current home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

In Ottawa, the new home rink is confirmed as TD Place Arena, the 6,500 seat rink that is currently home to the OHL’s Ottawa 67s. In his introductory press conference, Ottawa general manager Michael Hirshfeld stated a new dressing room facility was under construction at the rink.

While those are the locations we know, two we believe to be all but certainties are Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, and Walter Brown Arena in Boston. Coca-Cola Coliseum seats 8,100 fans and plays host to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. While this is home base, it would not be surprising to see PWHL Toronto play at least a game or two at Scotiabank Arena as well.

In Boston, the 3,806 seat Walter Brown Arena, which currently houses Boston University’s women’s hockey team seems like the finalized location. A suitable arena was always the concern in Boston, and Walter Brown is a bit older, and slightly under the 4,000 seat goal set by the league for venues, but it’s a character rink that will have the charm many new buildings lack.

New York has been rumored to be headed to Bridgeport, Connecticut at the 8,412 Total Mortgage Arena, although some games are likely to be played at UBS Arena, home to the NHL’s New York Islanders. There’s also been chatter recently that New York’s team could play games in Albany at the 14,236 seat MVP Arena.

Finally, Montreal remains a mystery. Playing out of Laval’s Place Bell, a 10,000 rink home to the AHL’s Laval Rocket would be a no brainer. It was the future home for the PHF’s Montreal Force prior to the league being acquired, but as many diehard Montreal fans will argue, Laval is not Montreal. The 4,114 seat Verdun Auditorium is another prime target for the league, as it was slated to become the home to the Montreal Canadiennes prior to the CWHL folding in 2019. Newly renovated, the Auditorium could be the place.