CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pittsburgh showed up for women's hockey on Sunday.
Could this be something we see happening regularly in the future?
Despite the game conflicting with the Steelers' playoff game, a near-sellout crowd of roughly 1,000 showed up to watch the National Women's Hockey League's Buffalo Beauts take on the Connecticut Whale in a regular-season game at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
With the Beauts prevailing, 4-3, after 60 minutes of fast, exciting back-and-forth action, these fans might have made the better choice on how to spend their Sunday afternoon:
The game was held at a neutral site to test markets for potential expansion, something NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan hopes to accomplish for the 2018-19 season.
Local girls' and women's college hockey players were in attendance, many wearing their own jerseys. While there were quite a few Whale fans or Beauts fans who traveled to Pittsburgh for the game, many fans with whom I spoke were from Pittsburgh, just looking to catch a glimpse of the NWHL.
This is a dream and a goal we share together, Lauren. The support of Pittsburgh, the @penguins and @penguinsrinks has been incredible. We’ll do our best to make it happen. Happy birthday, Lauren! pic.twitter.com/fI67qCw8h9
— NWHL (@NWHL) January 14, 2018
In front of me sat a young girl from Pittsburgh, Maggie, with her mother. "There wasn't anything like this when I was a little girl," her mother was telling her. "It was all just the boys." It was their first time seeing an NWHL game, but they already had their Whale poster ready.
The NWHL was established in 2015 with the goal of being able to pay its players a regular salary, something the existing women's league, the CWHL, had not been able to achieve in its eight seasons. Since the NWHL's inception, the league itself had owned and operated all of its teams. With that being the business model, it was crucial that the league start small, with only four teams.
If the league hopes to grow, it would greatly benefit from the financial support and marketing help that would come with becoming affiliated with large organizations like NHL teams.
This summer, the New Jersey Devils partnered with the Metropolitan (formerly New York) Riveters. The partnership allows the Riveters to use the Devils' facilities at no cost, alleviating much of the financial burden that comes with finding a place to practice and play. The Riveters also receive promotional support from the Devils. The Devils advertise Riveters games, and hosted the Riveters' home opener at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., as a doubleheader in an effort to draw more fans.
Looking for double the ? action? Join us on Sat., for a @Riveters & @NJDevils doubleheader at The Rock! Get tickets: https://t.co/g0Kvs92O6z pic.twitter.com/YZT3Cc0mWj
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 25, 2017
"It’s a big step," Riveters forward Tatiana Rafter told the New York Hockey Journal of the partnership. "To start out with a doubleheader with that event to start the season, it brought so much attention to our team. It just validates our league."
Last month, Pegula Sports and Entertainment announced that they had purchased the Buffalo Beauts. The move doesn't just benefit the Beauts, it benefits the league and women's hockey as a whole. With the NWHL's salary cap, the purchase doesn't yet allow the women to be paid more. However, with the Beauts being owned by an organization other than the league, the league is more stable financially, and there's a stronger possibility of the league expanding in the future.
“We want to contribute to the growth of women’s hockey,” Kim Pegula said in a statement after the purchase. “HarborCenter has allowed us to make a positive impact on the game at the amateur, high school and collegiate levels, and we believe this is the perfect time to expand our reach to include women’s professional hockey through the NWHL. This sport provides outstanding opportunities, and we are committed to helping extend those opportunities to females of all ages.”
Pittsburgh isn't the only out-of-market city to partner with the NWHL for an event. This February, the Minnesota Wild will host the 2018 NWHL All-Star Game. Minnesota is obviously a hockey hotbed, and that applies to the women's game too. Minnesota is home of the Minnesota Whitecaps, an independent professional women's team that plays games against college teams. The Golden Gophers women's hockey team's attendance is regularly one of the top in the nation.
Pittsburgh is a hockey town. But is it really a hockey town? Or just a men's hockey town?
With the success of the 2017 NWHL All-Star Game, and this weekend's regular season game, it would seem that Pittsburgh would be the next logical location for a NWHL expansion team. The players themselves sure seem to think so.
“As a player, playing here right now is phenomenal. I’d love to see a team here,” Riveters defenseman Ashley Johnston said after the All-Star Game. “There’s a nice flicker of hope in this area for potential growth.”
Robert Morris alum Rebecca Vint is in her first season with the Beauts. Vint graduated from Robert Morris as the school's all-time leading scorer, a record later broken by Beauts prospect Brittany Howard. Vint had a goal and two assists in Sunday's win. She spoke after the game about the turnout and returning to Pittsburgh:
During the game, I also chatted with the wife of one of the Whale players. She raved about the Lemieux Complex and the crowd, and noted how impressive the turnout was compared to Whale games.
Everybody seems to agree that Pittsburgh is the place to be. But will the Penguins step up?
In only the Lemieux Complex's second year, director Matt Herr made his goal of attracting a women's team clear. "The next phase is women’s hockey,” he told the Post-Gazette. “I feel like it’s an untapped market in the Pittsburgh area.”
Rylan first hinted at a possible expansion in Feb. 2017, after the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.
"We have received interest from several markets and prospective ownership groups, and we will review these options over the next year,” Rylan said in a press release. “We’re grateful for their enthusiasm for the NWHL and professional women’s hockey. Women's hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in North America. Last year alone, USA Hockey saw close to 5 percent growth in girls' registration. It's only a matter of time before we'll have to expand to accommodate both the talent pool and the fan base."
Having an ownership group, rather than the league itself, fund an expansion team is key. It would be too much to speculate that the Penguins were an ownership group that reached out to the league, but it is interesting that Rylan mentioned the potential interest not long after the Penguins successfully hosted an All-Star Game.
Pittsburgh is also close enough to the existing NWHL markets -- Boston, Buffalo, Stamford, and Newark -- that bus travel would still be feasible, and not too much of a financial burden.
There is no knowing when the league would announce expansion cities for next season, or if they would decide to expand next season at all. But for now, Pittsburgh seems to be at the top of the league's list.
Pittsburgh, we salute you.
Shall we go for the hat trick? Maybe an even bigger step?
Thanks for a whale of a day.
(Photo by Matthew Raney) pic.twitter.com/uv3mFnq96K
— NWHL (@NWHL) January 15, 2018
