When Arizona Coyotes director of Amateur Hockey Development Matt Shott first got his start working in women’s hockey in the Valley of the Sun, the thought of a women’s game selling out an NHL arena was unfathomable.
“Never would I think that women’s game would sell out a pro building,” he explained.
But just this week, Team Canada and the US Women’s National Program came just shy of a sellout at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, clocking in less than 1,000 shy of the official 18,347 arena capacity for a friendlies game Sunday evening.
That kind of turnout for a pre-Olympic friendly is incredible, but it’s also a symptom of the growth women’s hockey is seeing across North America.