Seattle Torrent sets U.S. women’s hockey attendance record
Everyone watches women’s hockey.
On Friday night in the Emerald City, a new record for women’s hockey attendance in the United States was set, as 17,335 people packed Climate Pledge Arena to see the Seattle Torrent take on the Toronto Sceptres.
For the first time in Torrent history, we have a sellout! 👏 Thank you to the best fans in the league for showing up for us since day one!
It marked the Torrent’s first sellout of its inaugural season as well. The team broke the U.S. attendance record in its first-ever home game back in late November, wth 16,014 fans seeing Seattle take on the two-time defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost.
That record lasted less than three months. In the PWHL’s Takeover Tour game in Washington, D.C. last month, 17,228 showed up to Capital One Arena to see a wild game between the Montreal Victoire and the New York Sirens, which ended in a line brawl.
The massive turnout for Friday night’s game in the Pacific Northwest comes eight days after the United States beat Canada in a thrilling gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Four Torrent players were in that game – Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter and Julia Gosling – with the prior three bringing home a gold medal. It proved that interest in the women’s game is high after such a thrilling tournament. Paired up with the fact that Seattle is a hotbed for women’s sports in general, Friday night had the makings of being a historic moment in the league’s young history.
According to the PWHL, overall attendance is up 17% season-over-season following the Olympic break.
There’s a chance that Seattle’s record might not last for long. The Torrent will be playing the Sirens at Madison Square Garden on April 4. The capacity for the New York Rangers‘ home barn is just over 18,000. There are also reports that the Boston Fleet’s game at TD Garden on April 11 is already sold out. The home of the Boston Bruins can hold up to 17,850 for hockey.
On a night when Seattle honored its Olympians, the team was without two of its best players. Knight had been placed on long-term injured reserve, and Hannah Bilka was pronounced day-to-day prior to puck drop. Nevertheless, the Torrent put up a strong fight against the Sceptres, though they fell by a final score of 5-2.