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Pittsburgh Should Be Home to the Next NWHL Franchise

By Nick Vucic

PITTSBURGH - AUGUST 25: View of downtown Pittsburgh as photographed from Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 25, 2016. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH - AUGUST 25: View of downtown Pittsburgh as photographed from Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 25, 2016. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Move-in Ready Home

Since opening in 2015, the Pittsburgh Penguins have called the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, PA home as a practice facility. With a total capacity of 1500 seats and two rinks, the complex has seen its fair share of hockey at all levels.

As already mentioned, the complex in Cranberry will be hosting the NWHL when it returns to town in December 2018 for its second regular season contest in the city. With Amanda Kessel and Kelly Steadman captaining the squads, the 2017 NWHL All-Star game saw sell-out crowds fill the arena.

Compared to the current five franchises in the National Women’s Hockey League, the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex would fall close to the middle of the pack with regards to seating capacity. The Warrior Ice Arena (Boston Pride) and the Barnabas Hockey House (Metropolitan Riveters) each have a seating capacity of 800.

The NWHL’s newest franchise, the Minnesota Whitecaps will play their games at TRIA Rink, with a seating capacity of 1,200, while the Buffalo Beauts play at the HarborCenter, with over 1,800 seats. The largest home rink to any NWHL club belongs to the Connecticut Whale, which play at the Terry Conners Rink that boasts a seating capacity of approximately 2,000 seats.

In addition to being able to bring a good sized crowd to games, the UPMC Sports Complex has proven up to the task of managing NWHL games, fans, and players. As the Penguins practice facility, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex has seen its fair share of sizable crowds, especially when practice falls on a weekend. Even with the large crowds, there has been little to complain about in either experience or view of the ice, which could make it a home sweet home for a NWHL team.

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