<p>It was anticipated that the inaugural Battle on Bay Street between PWHL Toronto and PWHL Montreal was going to be an exciting night. </p>



<p>It also ended up being a historic night at Scotiabank Arena – not just for the Professional Women’s Hockey League, but for the sport as a whole.</p>



<p>In the third period, it was announced that 19,285 came to watch the game, breaking the record for the largest attendance for a professional women’s hockey game.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking records and glass ceilings. 👏<br><br>This breaks the record for the largest crowd at any women's hockey game, surpassing the PWHL record of 13,316 in attendance for PWHL Minnesota against PWHL Montréal, at Xcel Energy Center, as well as the 18,013 who watched the 2013 IIHF… <a href="https://t.co/MJc8C49Acm">pic.twitter.com/MJc8C49Acm</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1758677175333421214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>It surpassed the previous mark that was set back on Jan. 6, when 13,316 <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/pwhl-sets-another-attendance-record-with-13316-fans-for-minnesota-and-montreal">were inside Xcel Energy Center</a> to see Minnesota take on Montreal. </p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="151"></div>



<p>“Once again, PWHL fans have made history,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President, Hockey Operations, in a release. “With a record-setting performance on a national stage, our fans made the&nbsp;Battle on Bay Street&nbsp;an unforgettable, inspirational moment — and we couldn’t be more appreciative.”</p>



<p>Friday night’s attendance surpassed many women’s hockey attendance records. It was more than the Rivalry Series record set in Seattle in 2022 (14,551), the indoor NCAA record set in Wisconsin in 2017 (15,359), the Olympic Games record set in Vancouver in 2010 (16,805) and the World Championship record set in Ottawa in 2013 (18,014).</p>



<p>In a little over a month, the PWHL has broken the record for attendance at a pro women’s game three times. Montreal was also involved in the first game, as 8,318 were inside The Arena at TD Place to see Montreal beat Ottawa in overtime on Jan. 2.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="146"></div>



<p>The PWHL has seen impressive numbers so far this season. The league overall is averaging a little less than 5,000 fans per game. <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/attendance-records-continue-to-fall-league-averaging-4848-fans">At the end of last month</a>, Minnesota was leading the league with 7,743 fans per game, followed by Ottawa’s 6,362. Montreal (5,364), Boston (4,026), Toronto (2,487) and New York (2,248) have also seen good crowds.</p>



<p>The turnout for each of the individual games. While big crowds have shown up for international games, particularly involving Canada and the United States, seeing thousands upon thousands show up for club-level games is something current and former players could have only dreamed about.</p>



<p>Dreams are becoming reality.</p>



<p>The league will test the waters in a <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/pwhl-to-play-neutral-site-games-in-detroit-and-pittsburgh-in-march">couple other NHL arenas later</a> this season. During “PWHL Takeover Weekend,” Ottawa and Boston will meet up at Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, on March 16, while Toronto and Montreal will lock horns at PPG Paints Arena, where the Pittsburgh Penguins play. It is unclear what the projections for those games’ attendances will be.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="172"></div>



<p>It has been a great year for women’s hockey. Along with records being broken here in North America, Czechia set a historical mark during the Euro Hockey Tour, as 3,313 watched the Czechs take on Finland in Liberec.</p>
