PWHL has demonstrable effect on IIHF Women’s World Hockey championship

April 15, 2024

The U.S. lost to rival Canada in OT in the gold medal match of this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship last night in Utica, NY. The competition, which began in 1990 and has featured these two nations in the championship 22 out of 23 times, introduced a new element to the ice this year: the PWHL. Here’s how the pro women’s hockey league is impacting the game.

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PWHL has demonstrable effect on IIHF Women’s World Hockey championship

Source: Troy Parla/Getty Images

The GIST: The U.S. lost to rival Canada in OT in the gold medal match of this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship last night in Utica, NY. The competition, which began in 1990 and has featured these two nations in the championship 22 out of 23 times, introduced a new element to the ice this year: the PWHL. Here’s how the pro women’s hockey league is impacting the game.

68K: The number of fans who attended this year’s tournament, up almost 15% YoY with average attendance of 2.3K per game. After the U.S. and Canada welcomed a record crowd of 4K for their preliminary match, their gold medal match sold out. Power play.

9: The number of participating countries (out of 10) that broadcast this year’s tournament, with Japan and China broadcasting it for the first time, and seven countries televising the gold medal game. Additionally, 71 accredited media representatives from seven countries were at the tourney.

23: The number of brand partners the league has teamed up with during its inaugural season, which bumps to 34 when official PWHL suppliers are included. This doesn’t include team sponsorships or group sponsorships like PWHL Canada’s deal with BIC razors, another deal sharpening Canada’s edge in PWHL backing and brand exposure.

0: The number of times Czechia has hosted an IIHF Women’s World Championship, with the European country slated to host for the first time next year. Hosting an international tournament tends to generate buzz and uplift the sport in the host nation — just ask Australia.

7: The number of NHL venues that will host a PWHL game this season, the latest addition being the 16.5K-seater Prudential Center in New Jersey. Since PWHL New York decided to abandon its 10K-seater home at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT, they will now play their remaining home games at two NHL venues, one of which is UBS Arena, home to the New York Islanders.

100,000: The number of women and girls registered to play hockey across the country this year, a record for USA Hockey. Came to play and here to stay.