U.S. Hockey Star Haley Winn Praises Olympics for ‘Putting Eyes’ on the PWHL: ‘Sold Out Right Away’ (Exclusive)
U.S. Hockey Star Haley Winn Praises Olympics for ‘Putting Eyes’ on the PWHL: ‘Sold Out Right Away’ (Exclusive)
Skyler CarusoWed, March 11, 2026 at 10:09 PM UTC
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Olympic gold medalist Haley Winn of the U.S. women's hockey team.Credit: Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty -
Haley Winn spoke with PEOPLE about the impact the 2026 Winter Olympics has had on professional women's hockey
The star defensive player and gold medal winner celebrated the immediate sell out of PWHL games after Megan Keller's golden goal
She made her Olympic debut in Milan, and scored one goal during the tournament
Team USA brought home the gold from the Olympics — and now fans can't wait to cheer them on back on home soil.
Hockey star Haley Winn spoke with PEOPLE about the positive impact the 2026 Milan Games has had on the sport since Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime for a gold medal win, concluding a thrilling tournament that marked her Olympic debut.
The 22-year-old defensive player, who was selected by the Boston Fleet with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2025 PWHL Draft, credits the Olympics for shining a light on the professional women's hockey league beyond the Winter Games.
Haley Winn of Team USA during the 2026 Winter Olympics.Credit: Elsa/Getty
"I think the Olympics did a great job of putting eyes especially on women's hockey. I think the PWHL is definitely going to grow so much and have so much more exposure," she tells PEOPLE exclusively upon her return to Massachusetts following her success in Milan.
Winn pointed to the immediate effect on PWHL ticket sales after her teammate Megan Keller scored the "golden goal" in overtime to seal the victory over Canada on Feb. 19, the U.S. women's hockey team's third Olympic gold medal along with their past wins in 1998 and 2018.
"I heard right after Keller scored the overtime winner, our TD [Garden] game was already doing well and I think it sold out right away," she said. The Fleet play most of their games at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Ma., but have a special game on April 11 at the famed TD Garden arena in Boston, where the Boston Bruins regularly play. It will be the first PWHL game at the arena.
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Haley Winn of the Boston Fleet on Feb. 28, 2026.Credit: Troy Parla/Getty
"That just goes to show a lot of our games are doing even better. It's just so cool," Winn tells PEOPLE of the positive change the league is seeing as a result. "I think people realized the heights of women's hockey, and they were surprised to see how good we were."
She adds, "I think it goes to show how much work that people, especially the trailblazers of women's hockey, have put into making this league a thing — and I think it is just so cool to see more on it."
Haley Winn poses with her three brothers after winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 19.Credit: AP Photo/Petr David Josek
"We are so excited to be back," Winn says about her return to the Fleet after dominating for weeks with Team USA. "I think I felt really grateful when I was over there because I didn't want the experience to end, but at the same time I was so excited and so antsy to get back to Boston."
"I think that just shows what a great group we have here," she continues. "Like I said, the girls were so supportive and just being back on the ice today, there was so much energy. I think everyone's excited to play and just be back together."
Winn concludes, "I think we have a really special group and we all feel that and we're excited to obviously play on Saturday and continue on to the rest of the season."
The Fleet currently have a 13-4 record this season. They are on a six-game win streak as of March 10.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
