Detroit boosts bid for PWHL expansion team by drawing U.S. record crowd for pro women

Young women, among those in a record-breaking crowd, held up signs with messages for the Professional Women's Hockey League.

"PWHL DETROIT NEEDS A TEAM," was printed on one side of the signs.

The six-team PWHL may expand next season, in its third year, and is touring cities potentially on the list to get in the game.

Detroit tried to improve its chances of landing a team, drawing 14,288 fans Sunday night to break the attendance record for a professional women's hockey game in the United States as New York beat Minnesota 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

The game was part of the PWHL's Takeover Tour of potential expansion venues, and its latest stop was a hit, a year after 13,736 fans watched women play professional hockey on the same sheet of ice at the home of the Detroit Red Wings.

As impressive as the turnout has been in Detroit for a pair of PWHL games, it has competition.

Denver drew 14,018 fans, many breaking out in chants of "We want a team!" to set the previous U.S. record for a professional women's hockey game two months ago in another neutral-site game.

Besides Denver, others in the running include Seattle, Vancouver and Quebec, with the PWHL expected to announce a decision by early April.

"Everything's a competition," Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield said. "It's awesome to see, but I think it also speaks to the demand and how this has been a long time coming.

"With the proper support, resources, investment and platform, anything is possible."

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The world attendance record for women's hockey was set nearly a year ago when 21,105 people were in the stands for a PWHL game between Montreal and Toronto in the Canadiens'