On Jan. 5, 2025, Climate Pledge arena was packed with hockey enthusiasts and nonfans alike. The 12,608 of us weren’t there to see Matty Beniers or Jordan Eberle, but to watch the Boston Fleet take on the Montreal Victoire as part of the newly established Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)’s nine-game Takeover Tour. Seattle’s aspiring fans came prepared with signs begging for an expansion team — but no one expected their hope to become reality within just four months.
The PWHL announced Seattle’s very own team is coming next season, and will call Climate Pledge Arena home. An expansion team in Vancouver had been announced just a week earlier, but PWHL executives told TSN it was “not a package deal” because Seattle already had enough potential to speak for itself. What made the city stand out? The high- quality facilities and a culture of support for women’s sports, evidenced by the record-breaking attendance of the Takeover Tour game. After the addition of a Vancouver team, Seattle is a natural West Coast rival. To top it all off, the new team will partner with the Kraken, whose strong fan base will make a steady launchpad for the new team’s attendance.
Seattle will be the eighth team in the league; the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. They play for the Walter Cup, named after the league owner, the Walter Group, which also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea FC. It also features new rules, including the “Pick Your Opponent” rule, which allows the No. 1 playoff seed to choose who they will play in the first round, between the third and fourth seeds. Average attendance at PWHL games last season was 7,354, though Climate Pledge Arena’s high capacity is a hopeful sign the team could achieve higher numbers. Prospective fans are excited to deepen the city’s sports culture and support this important development for women’s sports.
Of course, the million dollar question remains: What will they be called? Unfortunately, there is still no definitive name, and the team will start their first season as “PWHL Seattle.” The good news is that the color scheme has been announced; the primary color is emerald green and the secondary color is cream. While the name isn’t out there, it is safe to assume fans will show up no matter what. This is a huge development for women’s sports on the West Coast and an exciting chapter in the journey towards equal representation. As a sign at the Takeover Tour proclaimed, “When we all play, we all win.”