The PWHL would ideally have their own venues, but in some markets, that’s not been possible. Instead they have to rely on NHL landlords. It’s cost some markets a chance at PWHL teams, while others continue to work toward deals.
I do hope they get at least an increased number of games on the weekend, even double headers with the NHL team.
We haven’t had a Torrent/Kraken doubleheader afaik, but the Reign/Sounders ones are always a blast.
As a Sirens fan, I think there was two this year with the Devils and those games were well attended. I hope that look to grow that next season.
We see this trouble in NWSL, where we see the MLS schedule come out much earlier than the NWSL as the women work to try to fit around the men’s soccer:
The PWHL has asked for priority dates from NHL teams. It makes sense as the league has thrived on weekends, but has had slightly lower attendance marks during the week. For some markets, moving their NHL team to 4-5 more weeknight games is no issue. For others, maximizing weekend games is crucial at the NHL level as well. It makes sense for the PWHL to want prime dates, but those requests won’t take precedent to NHL scheduling. The PWHL is a renter. Without venue ownership, or being a primary tenant like they are in Vancouver, or even having the luxury of sharing with an AHL team as they do in Montreal and Toronto, PWHL schedules must fill in the gaps between NHL and NBA teams the way any touring musician, theatrical production, or events do.
