The Washington, DC area showed up in a big way for women’s hockey on Sunday.

Capital One Arena welcomed 17,228 fans for a PWHL Takeover Tour matchup between the Montreal Victoire and New York Sirens, breaking the U.S. attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game.

Not only did fans vote with their wallets — both buying tickets in advance and quickly snatching up all available team merch minutes after doors first opened — but they also made their feelings known with their voices.

In the waning minutes of the third period, fans started a loud “We Want a Team!” chant that was audible on the game’s YouTube telecast.

The DC area has long been considered as a potential landing spot for a women’s hockey team. The Athletic reported in October 2024 that the PWHL evaluated the District; Pittsburgh; London, Ontario; and several other locations as potential host cities for inaugural clubs.

Meanwhile, Ted Leonsis, already the owner of the Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, has been a vocal supporter of women’s sports at large, believing they’re a “growth stock.”

“What I’d like to do is make Washington, DC the capital of women’s professional sports,” Leonsis told CNBC’s Squawk Box in April 2024. “I could see one day us replicating what we’ve done at Monumental and we could have a women’s hockey team, we could have women’s baseball teams, we could have women’s volleyball teams. I think the whole platform [of women’s sports] is getting ready to explode.”

While Leonsis’ support helped bring the Takeover Tour to DC — Monumental Sports & Entertainment operates Capital One Arena, and Monumental Sports Network aired the game locally — all PWHL teams are centrally owned, meaning Leonsis likely couldn’t purchase a DC franchise. However, his control of Capital One Arena, Monumental Sports Network, and possible cross-promotion with the Capitals would make him a valuable ally to the league if it opts to expand to Washington.

“We’re incredibly proud to see Capital One Arena serve as the stage for another historic moment with today’s record-setting PWHL game,” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “…[T]he momentum we’re seeing today reflects both the excellence of the athletes and the growing demand from fans to experience women’s sports at the highest level.”

Currently, the PWHL has only eight teams, but that number is growing. The league launched in 2024 with an original six clubs: the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres. This season saw the PWHL’s first expansion with the foundation of the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes. Each club will play 30 games during the 2025-26 campaign.

Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations, told CNBC in November that the league expects add up to four expansion teams for the 2026-27 season.

“Next year, we are expanding again,” she said. “It’s either two to four teams. If I was a betting woman, I’d say it’d be four teams. And then I think we’ll hold at 12 for a bit.”

Prior to Sunday’s PWHL game at Capital One Arena, the Capitals hosted multiple PWHPA (Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association) events, which were a hit with local fans. In 2022, MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the team’s practice facility, housed a stop on the PWHPA’s Dream Gap tour. A year later, it welcomed the PWHPA Showcase, bringing big names like Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse, and Marie-Philip Poulin to the area.

The main barrier to a PWHL team in DC could be finding a dedicated venue. Capital One Arena is extraordinarily busy, already playing host to an average of 220 events per year, and there isn’t currently another hockey facility that has the right number of seats. The Mystics currently play at CareFirst Arena, whose capacity of 4,200 could be a good fit, but the building does not currently house an ice sheet.

What is becoming clear is that this area has an appetite for more of what it saw on Sunday.

“The crowd was huge and so enthusiastic for women’s hockey,” Katina K., who attended Sunday’s PWHL game, told RMNB. “I hope DC gets a team soon. I would definitely be hitting up those games because action and play are excellent. We want a team!”

“I don’t see how there can’t be a team, the energy was there, the crowd was there,” Greg K., a Capitals season ticket holder, said. “I’d absolutely be in for season tickets if they play at Capital One Arena. The attendance was comparable with or better than a Caps game. The energy was comparable or better, too.”

“I would be a season ticket holder again for this!” added an RMNB follower on X.

The only thing left is for the powers that be to figure it out.