Women's History Month Spotlight: Women's Hockey in the Record Books
- Alyssa Klauminzer
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
From the PWHL to the Olympics, women's hockey has captured all eyes. From history being made to attendance records being set and broken, the ice has never been hotter.
In celebration of International Women's Day tomorrow, let's celebrate the recent history made in women's hockey!
Team USA at the 2026 Olympics
Team USA women's hockey won its third gold medal, and eighth Olympic medal overall, against rival Team Canada. And the Americans have medaled in every Olympics since the sport's debut in 1998! Team USA was incredibly dominant all tournament long and put on a show in a true team performance, with 19 players recording points in the 2026 Games. They also had the top three scoring players of the tournament, with Megan Keller recording three goals and six assists, MVP Caroline "KK" Harvey recording two goals and seven assists, and Laila Edwards recording two goals and six assists.
Three of Team USA's players also made history at the Olympics.
Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to play hockey for Team USA and win gold at the Olympics. Edwards was an absolute star in her Olympic debut, with nine points, including an assist to Hilary Knight to force the gold medal game into overtime.
Aerin Frankel was the best goalie, men's or women's, at the Olympics, and don't take it from me, take it from the stats! In the group stage, in just her first Olympics, Frankel recorded 20 saves and shutout Canada 5-0, marking the first time Canada had ever been shutout at the Olympics. She also shutout Czechia and Sweden, setting a new Olympic record for shutouts in a single Olympics. Frankel had a record 0.39 GAA, .980 save percentage, and her five wins tied the record for most in a single Olympic tournament.
O Captain! My Captain! Hilary Knight is an absolute icon. En route to her second gold medal, and fifth at the Games, Knight set new American records for both men's and women's hockey, with 15 goals at the Olympics, 33 points at the Olympics, and most Olympic appearances with five. She's also now the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer.
PWHL
In just this season, the PWHL has set three new U.S. attendance records:
16,014 fans attended the Seattle Torrent's inaugural home opener against the Minnesota Frost
17,228 fans showed up for the Montréal Victoire vs. New York Sirens Takeover Tour game in Washington, DC
A sellout crowd of 17,355 fans showed up for the Torrent's first game after the Olympic break
The PWHL noted that attendance for the league is up 17% season-over-season. The league also announced that it has sold out two major venues with the New York Sirens' first home game at Madison Square Garden on April 4 and the Boston Fleet's first home game at TD Garden on April 11. The Sirens game at MSG is expected to set another new U.S. attendance record.
“Selling out both Madison Square Garden and TD Garden is a true testament to our fans, whose passion has fueled the growth of the PWHL,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations. “Playing for the first time at these two world-class arenas will be another step in what has already been a historic season for our league, and the atmosphere for fans and players alike will be nothing short of incredible."
Following the Olympics, the PWHL also saw its biggest home venue ticket sales since the season's opening, merchandise sales increased 101%, the 61 PWHL players in the Olympics increased their social media followings by 38%, website traffic was six times higher and nearly 75% of visitors were new users, and PWHL videos on YouTube increased by 200%.
Everyone watches women's hockey, and it's time the sport finally gets the recognition, attention, and funding that it has long deserved!
Everything men's hockey does, women's hockey does, but better.
Edited by Mithzi Silva
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