The PWHL’s first six teams finally have their names. Monday morning, the league unveiled names and logos for each of their franchises: the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres.
Fleet captain Hilary Knight and PWHL vice president of business operations Amy Scheer made the announcement on Good Morning America ahead of the league’s second season.
(Re)introducing the inaugural six, as you've never seen them before:
Boston Fleet
Minnesota Frost
Victoire de Montreal
New York Sirens
Ottawa Charge
Toronto Sceptres pic.twitter.com/oMTyeTbecL— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) September 9, 2024
The new branding comes after a much-anticipated wait that saw all teams go nameless in the PWHL’s inaugural season, instead bearing only their location. While the league applied to trademark a set of six names last fall, none of the proposed names made the final cut, potentially due to fans’ backlash when the applications became public.
Fan speculation reached a new high last week when the league teased a major announcement, with each franchise offering hints towards their eventual name.
Even without names, the PWHL proved successful in its first season. Average attendance was 5,448 in the regular season and peaked at 21,105 when PWHL Montreal faced PWHL Toronto at Scotiabank Arena — a new record for a women’s hockey game — while tens of thousands of fans tuned in to watch the PWHL Finals on YouTube.
“Our inaugural season was one for the history books,” Scheer told GMA host Robin Roberts. “We shot out of a cannon. Our fans showed up in droves. We played all year to sold out arenas. We broke the global women’s attendance record, over 21,000 for women’s ice hockey. Before we even dropped our first puck, our corporate partners lined up to join us. Merchandise has come in and gone out: our fans — we can’t keep up with demand.
“And I think the most important thing is that young girls now more than ever are playing ice hockey. Girls’ playing has grown over 40%, participation wise, over the last 10 years. So our sport is in good hands.”
Fans will see the newly-named teams back on the ice when the 2024-25 season begins this winter.
“It truly is a movement,” Knight said Monday. “And it’s so exciting to be a part of it. Obviously, we’ve been a part of it since a young age, getting out there on the ice and learning how to skate. But now to see just the growth of the professional level all the way down to the grassroots level, it’s ecstatic. And it’s a dream come true.”
