Wednesday at 7: 00 p. m. ET, the PWHL game on April 4 between the New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent has sold out Madison Square Garden, with a crowd expected to set a U. S. attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game. The timing reflects a sharp spike in interest after Team USA’s overtime gold-medal victory in Milan and the Sirens’ Jan. 8 announcement of the MSG matchup.
Madison Square Garden sellout and record math
The Sirens announced on Jan. 8 that their April 4 matchup would be played at Madison Square Garden, and ticket demand pushed the building to capacity. The arena’s hockey capacity is 18, 006, which would surpass the U. S. professional women’s hockey attendance mark of 17, 335 set at Climate Pledge Arena on Feb. 27.
Olympics momentum, roster names and injury updates
League interest climbed after the Winter Olympics in Milan, driven in part by Team USA’s gold-medal overtime win; the Sirens said that surge translated into higher ticket sales. Sarah Fillier, Kristin O’Neill and Kayle Osborne are on the Sirens roster, while the Torrent roster includes four players from the U. S. Olympic team. Seattle captain Hilary Knight is on long-term injured reserve with an MCL injury and did not play in the club’s post-Olympics return.
PWHL momentum spreads to Boston with TD Garden sellout
The PWHL also announced that the Boston Fleet’s game against the Montréal Victoire on April 11 has sold out at TD Garden, which holds more than 17, 800 for hockey. League executive Jayna Hefford characterized consecutive sellouts in New York and Boston as a historic moment for the sport, saying sold-out buildings give fans a chance to see world-class talent on full display.
Seattle previously set a U. S. attendance record in its home debut in November with 16, 014 fans, and that mark was eclipsed in January at Capital One Arena with 17, 228 for a Sirens game. Then the Torrent’s Feb. 27 draw of 17, 335 raised the ceiling again, creating a sequence of rising crowds this season that the MSG sellout aims to top.
The April 4 sellout at Madison Square Garden and the Fleet’s April 11 TD Garden sellout reflect a clear sequence of higher attendances this season and a post-Olympics boost in public interest. Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust described selling out the arena as a defining moment for the team and a statement about the league’s growth in a team statement.
New York and Seattle meet April 4 at 7: 00 p. m. ET at Madison Square Garden; if the building reaches its 18, 006 capacity, the event will surpass the 17, 335 U. S. mark set on Feb. 27. More details on crowd figures are expected after the game concludes.
