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. “

Minnesota’s PWHL team set to play home games at Xcel Energy Center

According to reports, Minnesota’s PWHL franchise will play their home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The arena is currently home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

As reported by John Shipley of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, a rental agreement between PWHL Minnesota and the Xcel Energy Center is in the final phases of completion prior to the PWHL’s January 2024 launch.

The arena, which was opened in 2000, officially seats 17,954 for hockey, but the Wild averaged over capacity at 18,454 per game in 2022-2023.

The PHF’s Minnesota Whitecaps had been playing in Richfield, Minnesota during the 2022-2023 season.

At the NCAA level, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth finished second and third overall in national attendance figures last season averaging 2022 and 1138 fans respectively.

Rumoured New Location For AEW Full Gear 2021

With this year’s AEW Full Gear PPV having recently undergone a date change, a location has yet to be confirmed for this upcoming November show.

As per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tony Khan’s promotion is said to be currently looking at the Minneapolis-St. Paul market as the locale that will house Full Gear.

No specific arenas are mentioned by the Observer at this stage, although one might imagine that the Xcel Energy Center would be one venue under consideration – with that venue also due to host an episode of WWE SmackDown this December.

For those who missed it, AEW recently moved Full Gear from 6 November to 13 November. The reason for this is simply that AEW didn’t want to run in direct opposition to two other huge PPV events on that same night – that being UFC 268 (Kamara Usman vs. Colby Covington 2) and a hotly-anticipated boxing card headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant.

Previously, Full Gear was due to emanate from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, but the change of date for Full Gear meant that venue was now no longer available.

Wild switch goal song to Prince’s ‘Let’s go crazy’

The Minnesota Wild will celebrate Prince with every goal scored at Xcel Energy Center during the 2016-17 season.

“Let’s go crazy” was announced as the club’s official goal song Tuesday, as per the results from a season ticket-holder vote.

“Our in-arena experience is designed for the fans, so it’s great to be able to show them we take their feedback to heart,” John Maher, the club’s vice president of brand, content, and communications announced Tuesday.

“At the same time, it’s our privilege to celebrate an iconic hometown artist that clearly has had an incredible impact on our community and the world.”

The Wild made Prince’s hit their goal song April 24, on a night that proved to be the club’s last game of the season.

Prince died unexpectedly three days prior at age 57.

Predators GM Poile hit by puck, sent to hospital

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Nashville Predators general manager David Poile was taken to a hospital Thursday after being struck by an errant puck during the team’s morning skate.

The Predators were preparing for Thursday night’s game with the Minnesota Wild when Poile was hit with the puck at Xcel Energy Center. The Predators issued a team statement saying that Poile would remain in a St. Paul hospital overnight for observation and evaluation.

The Predators said further information would be released as it becomes available.

Poile also is the general manager for the U.S. Olympic hockey team for the Winter Games in Sochi.