Hilary Knight sees return to Seattle a step forward for the PWHL and a reminder of how far the sport has come

Hilary Knight is well-versed in the reputation of Boston sports fans, having played seven years of her storied career here. But no East Coast crowd has ever impressed her like the one at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena in 2022.

Knight and Team USA faced off against Canada in front of 14,551 fans — a national team record for attendance on American soil — during a Rivalry Series matchup back when women’s professional hockey in North America was often an afterthought for fans and when multiple leagues battled for minimal funding and support.

“It’s a testament to where the game’s going and how we’re trying to do things the right way,” Knight said after netting two goals and an assist in Team USA’s 4-2 win.

At the time, Knight said she felt fortunate to have the rare opportunity to play on the West Coast. She expressed hope for more such games in the future.

Two years later, Knight has a return to Climate Pledge Arena in her sights. She and the Boston Fleet will face the Montreal Victoire on Jan. 5 as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour, which features nine games at NHL arenas in the US and Canada.

The tour is an expression of growth and potential for the most unified and well-funded league in North American women’s hockey’s history.

“The leagues that I’ve been part of — I was grateful to be a part of, and all the amazing people and fans and whatnot — was more of a semi-pro model, and this is a professional one,” Knight said. “This league is something we haven’t seen before, and so I think that’s what’s extremely exciting for the future.”

The PWHL experimented with large venues during its inaugural season, playing 27 games in NHL arenas last season with varied degrees of success; New York struggled to fill the lower bowl of UBS Arena, while Montreal often packed the Bell Centre.

But four tentpole events at NHL arenas stood out as indicators of the league’s potential.

A matchup between Boston and Ottawa at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena drew 13,736 fans, an American record for a professional women’s hockey game. A crowd of 8,850 attended Toronto vs. Montreal at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena. And a women’s hockey world record of 21,105 fans filed into the Bell Centre for Toronto vs. Montreal, breaking the mark of 19,285 set in the teams’ earlier meeting at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.

Climate Pledge Arena has a capacity of 17,200, and while many balcony seats remain available, all but a couple dozen lower-bowl tickets have been sold. Even if the crowd in January doesn’t match the 2022 Rivalry Series game, Knight said the matchup is crucial to the PWHL’s success.

“Any opportunity to have an outreach or currently out-of-market game for us is a critical one for the growth of the game and also our league, and to be able to play in Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle area, we’re just super excited,” Knight said. “Really looking forward to another crowd in a true sports city, and you’re going to get a phenomenal game.”

The Takeover Tour appears to be the perfect opportunity for the league to test markets for potential expansion. In addition to Seattle and Detroit, the PWHL will visit Vancouver, Denver, Quebec City, Edmonton, Alberta, Buffalo, Raleigh, N.C., and St. Louis.

There’s been no official word on if or when the league could expand, but it’s an obvious next step.

“We may add two teams, we may add zero,” senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said in November. “The goal is to expand at a rate which the talent of hockey can support.”

For now, though, the league will use neutral-site games to reach new audiences and grow the game outside of the six established PWHL markets. And the Fleet relish that opportunity.

“Will we be there in a few years? Who knows?” Knight said. “But how exciting to be able to have the opportunity to play there.”