{"id":569766,"date":"2026-05-08T08:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/569766\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T08:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:00:50","slug":"detroit-pwhl-team-could-play-mix-of-doubleheaders-with-red-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/569766\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit PWHL team could play mix of doubleheaders with Red Wings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment President & CEO Ryan Gustafson said that the company anticipates a \u201cmix of doubleheaders on Red Wings game days and standalone games\u201d with the Detroit PWHL team<\/a> at Little Caesars Arena, according to Bultman & Salvian of THE ATHELTIC. Gustafson added that they \u201cwould be \u2018great partners in making sure that the schedule aligns with the needs of the PWHL.\u2019\u201d PWHL EVP\/Business Operations Amy Scheer said, \u201cWe feel very confident in how we can do here from a business perspective.\u201d Like last year, there was a \u201clong list of criteria\u201d the PWHL examined when deciding where to expand this season. With access to Little Caesars Arena and its attached practice ice, the Belfor Training Center, the league will \u201cbe in a \u2018best-in-class\u2019 facility.\u201d PWHL EVP\/Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford said that the team will \u201chave dedicated locker rooms and \u2018everything that is required in our league.\u2019\u201d Bultman & Salvian wrote geographically, it \u201cmakes sense for the league to add another team in the American Midwest,\u201d alongside Minnesota, the lone Midwest franchise for the PWHL\u2019s first three seasons (THE ATHLETIC, 5\/6<\/a>). Ilitch Companies President & CEO Christopher Ilitch said, \u201cDetroit has been a part of the PWHL story since day one. When the league played\u202fits first-ever neutral site game right here at Little Caesars Arena in 2024, 13,700 fans showed\u202fup for a brand new league in its inaugural season.\u201d He added, \u201cAnd it only grew from there. Detroit hosted more PWHL games than any other neutral site city. \u2026 The PWHL didn\u2019t have to guess whether Detroit was ready.\u201d The success of the PWHL\u2019s Takeover Tour stops in Detroit \u201cmade placing a franchise here natural\u201d (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5\/6<\/a>).<\/p>\n

ROOM FOR MORE: The AP\u2019s John Wawrow noted there is \u201cmore to come,\u201d with the PWHL previously saying that it \u201cplans to expand by between two and four markets.\u201d Scheer would \u201cnot reveal how more teams will be added,\u201d though the \u201cexpectation remains four to be announced in the coming weeks.\u201d Scheer said that this round of expansion before Season 4 meets PWHL owner Mark Walter\u2019s \u201cvision in building a sustainable league<\/a>.\u201d Scheer: \u201cWhile it might be fast in terms of the way other leagues have done things, for us it\u2019s measured and calculated\u201d (AP, 5\/6<\/a>). <\/p>\n

BAY BOUND? Salvian in a separate piece cited an email where PWHLPA Exec Dir Malaika Underwood told players \u201cthe league intends to move forward with a four-team expansion.\u201d When asked about the email, Scheer said that the league \u201ccould add two, three or four teams.\u201d Salvian writes expansion to San Jose \u201cmight feel out of left field — especially as fans in established NHL cities such as Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh have long clamored for a team — but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not an intriguing fit.\u201d The Bay Area has \u201cbecome a premier hub for women\u2019s sports\u201d with the additions of NWSL and WNBA franchises in recent years. A team in San Jose would make the league \u201cmore geographically balanced\u201d — with at least three teams out west, two in the Midwest and five out east — and \u201ccould cut back on Seattle and Vancouver\u2019s travel.\u201d If the league indeed expands to San Jose, \u201cthat leaves room for two more teams.\u201d Given the \u201cconsistently strong attendance numbers\u201d in the league\u2019s current Canadian markets, \u201cat least one new franchise should be North of the border\u201d (THE ATHLETIC, 5\/7<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ilitch Sports + Entertainment President & CEO Ryan Gustafson said that the company anticipates a \u201cmix of doubleheaders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5101],"tags":[599,93,5137,5,4,1767,3358,5138,1374],"class_list":["post-569766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-red-wings","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-detroitredwings","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-pwhl","tag-red-wings","tag-redwings","tag-womens-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116537909880716690","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}