Seattle's new team is skating into the spotlight
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Julia Gosling gets the Torrent bench going during the team's opener in Vancouver. Photo: Rich Lam/Getty Images
Seattle's pro women's hockey team, the Torrent, is making its home debut with star power, sellout crowds and Olympic buzz.
Why it matters: The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) opened its third season Friday with two expansion teams and promising attendance figures — but without a national TV deal in the U.S. that could help secure the fledgling league's financial future.
Driving the news: The Torrent will play their first-ever home game Friday, at Climate Pledge Arena against the reigning champion Minnesota Frost.
The big picture: A strong women's hockey showing at the Winter Olympics could turn casual viewers into diehard fans, especially in Seattle, where crowds reliably back women's teams like Storm and OL Reign as well as new franchises like the Kraken.
What they're saying: "If you look at the history of women's sports post-Olympics … there's always a wonderful tailwind that you get to ride for a bit," PWHL executive vice president Amy Scheer told reporters last week. "We are setting ourselves up to make sure we take advantage of that tailwind."
State of play: League leaders saw the Pacific Northwest as prime territory for expansion, adding franchises in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.
- More than 12,000 fans turned out for a PWHL showcase at Climate Pledge Arena last season, and nearly 15,000 showed up Friday for the two new teams' inaugural game in B.C.
Case in point: After the 2019 World Cup, the National Women's Soccer League parlayed the U.S. national team's victory into a three-year, $4.5 million deal with CBS and Twitch, according to the Sports Business Journal — and ESPN agreed to pick up some games.
- The NWSL's latest deal is now worth $240 million.
Plus: The U.S. women's basketball gold medal in the 1996 Olympics helped pave the way for the WNBA's 1997 launch.
- Three decades later, "the W" now has a $2.2 billion media rights deal.
Catch up quick: The PWHL gets national coverage for its four Canadian teams but relies on regional networks, local broadcasters and YouTube streaming to cover its four U.S. teams.
What we're watching: PWHL stars make up roughly two-thirds of the American roster and the entirety of the Canadian roster, setting the stage for a February Olympic pause that could shine a worldwide spotlight on the league's top talent.
- "Global eyeballs will be able to follow our players as they come back to the PWHL," said league hockey ops VP Jayna Hefford.