Seattle Torrent general manager Meghan Turner was a featured panelist at a recent women’s sports summit in New York, hosted annually by ESPN.
Turner spoke about the benefits and challenges of managing an expansion franchise during an Olympic year, appreciation for Torrent fans, and a range of other topics. A transcript of her comments below has been edited for clarity and length.
(Tomorrow in this space, comments from the summit by star Torrent forward Hannah Bilka, also a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s hockey team.)
Creating A Culture With Torrent
I have to give Seattle fans a lot of credit. Before we even announced the team, they were mobilized, energized, activated. They show up in in every location, and they’ve been doing that from day one. We led the league in average attendance, just shy of 13,000 fans, which for a first-year team, that’s amazing.
It was not lost on me that we’re creating a team, but we’re also creating a brand in the market. We talked about “Culture first” in our locker room. We wanted that to extend to the broader fan base in the city and how we showed up every day to our games. Make our games joyous. We really looked to match the energy and enthusiasm that we felt from Seattle and try to give that back.
Olympics Costs & Benefits To Torrent
To hit on the positives first, there’s so much exposure that came out of the Olympics for our team and for the league in general. When we came back, we put on the scoreboard all of the Olympians across the league. It was an immense portion of our league.
People who didn’t know hockey, didn’t know our players, a great experience for people coming to our games to be able to connect with something that’s on the international stage.
From the season perspective, it’s hard. I give the players a lot of credit. They’re dealing with two different systems, two different organizations, two different pressure sets. It was difficult to manage heading into the Olympics for players and staff alike.
Coming out, we had some injuries. Hannah (Bilka) was sidelined for the year. (Torrent and Team USA captain Hilary Knight also missed several games.) So we had to adjust our roster and be creative that way.
Importance Of Team USA’s Gold Medal
Winning a gold medal and the prospect of that is still the pinnacle of women’s hockey.
Little boys are looking at the Stanley Cup, little girls now are looking at the Walter Cup. But the Olympic gold around their neck, I think, is still the pinnacle. A lot of these players have been looking to be at the Olympics and to win a medal for their whole lives. There’s a lot of pressure on the players to perform at the highest level.
Historic Apr. 4 Torrent-Sirens Game At Madison Square Garden
You sell out Madison Square Garden, it’s “it,” right? (A U.S. attendance record for women’s hockey of 18,006 fans.) I had a moment up top there, seeing all the new faces. You see them on the Jumbotron, people are just loving it.
Candidly, I have these moments all the time. Because of the momentum of this league, I’ve had the experience at Climate Pledge many times this year.
Torrent & PWHL Fans ‘A Very Eclectic Group’
Anyone and everyone can come to our games. They always have fun, they always want to come back, and they always bring their friends. The building is fantastic. It’s state-of-the-art, very sustainable, and the players love playing there. I love managing a team there. It’s been an awesome experience.
It’s a very community-driven feeling. When I go to games in our league, even as someone who’s on staff, I feel the community. It’s really palpable in in the arena, no matter what market you go to. They feel like it’s a safe space for them. They can be themselves in the arena and and show up in a a way that they feel is authentic.
Growing The Game
People are learning the game of hockey. We put (explanations of) icing and offside rules up on the scoreboard because people are trying to Google it on their phones in real time.
80% of people who come to our Takeover Tour games, neutral site games, haven’t stepped foot in an NHL building (before). These are new fans. There’s obviously overlap, but it is a different community. It’s cool to see dads bringing their daughters, families coming. It’s certainly a different dynamic. This league is truly growing the game in real time, not just with youth, but with adult leagues and things of that nature.
Top of mind for everyone is making sure that this is always a professional experience for the athletes, and that that never is sacrificed.
Earlier Torrent:
— Torrent Overachieved Where It Mattered Most
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken ECHL Team Risks Eviction From Home Arena
