Boston Fleet say they'll play four home games, up from two, at Agganis Arena in 2025-26 season
Boston's only larger announced attendance was 6,032 on Feb. 16,
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The Fleet averaged an announced 4,330 fans across their 11 games at Tsongas in 2024-25, and 5,316 for the five played on a weekend (Friday-Sunday). All six of their dates on Tuesday or Wednesday nights drew fewer than 4,000.
Tsongas lists a hockey capacity of 6,500, larger than Agganis's 6,221.
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Those numbers were up from the league's first season, in which PWHL Boston averaged 3,770 fans in 11 games at Tsongas, but put the Fleet fifth in the six-team league behind Toronto (9,059/game), Montreal (9,013), Ottawa (6,888), and Minnesota (6,524). Only New York (2,764), which has missed the playoffs in back-to-back years and played more than half its home games midweek, drew fewer.
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The PWHL announced total attendance of nearly 645,000 in the 2024-25 season, an average of 7,245 buoyed by nine neutral-site Takeover Tour games. Those games averaged nearly 14,000 fans, with two of the sites —
Lowell's Tsongas Center will be the Fleet's primary home arena for the third straight season in 2025-26.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The Fleet are in a state of flux with the annual player draft set for Tuesday night in Ottawa. After
Boston has the second pick in each of the draft's six rounds.
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Boston Globe
19 hours ago
- Boston Globe
June photos of the month: protests, pride and parties
Students played with balloons during Hingham High School's queer prom on May 31 in Hingham. The queer prom offers students an alternative to traditional proms where many LGBTQ youth feel pressure to conform to gender expectations or skip the events altogether. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Family members of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball, broke down in tears during a protest held for him outside of Town Hall in Milford on June 1. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Sunset illuminated a bar patron at The Pier at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, on June 19. Nick White was carried to the beach after winning the Greasy Pole Contest at Pavilion Beach in Gloucester on June 29. Matthew J Lee Athletes collapsed after the 1-mile race during the MIAA's Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State University on June 8. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Members of The Peacekeepers dance group waited off stage during the Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival in Boston June 28. The festival is a nonprofit organization that breaks down racial and social barriers to arts, music, and culture across Greater Boston. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Karen Read (left) emerged from the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on June 18, with her defense team after the jury's verdict. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Eileen Siegel marched with Good Shepard Community Care during the Boston Pride For The People Parade in Boston on June 14. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Walpole High School players celebrated after the last out in their win over Plymouth North High in a D2 MIAA semifinal game at BC High's Monan Park on June 11. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Margarita Muniz Academy students and best friends Angie Medina (left) and Ray Deli Castillo embraced before the start of their graduation ceremony. The graduation procession and ceremony were held on June 11 on the grounds of the historic Loring Greenough House and Gardens near the school. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Athletes raced in the 100-meter dash during the MIAA's Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State University on June 8. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Marcelo Gomes da Silva (center) was embraced by friends outside his Milford home on June 5 after his release from ICE detention. The 18-year-old Milford High School student was granted bail by an immigration judge after being detained since last weekend when ICE agents stopped him on his way to volleyball practice. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Eurydice Hirsey showed off her moves on Massachusetts Avenue during the 25th annual Cambridge Dance Party on June 27. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo Sister Lida Christ, of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, worked on her makeup during her 'manifestation' at her home in Boston on May 28. She was preparing to film a public service announcement with fellow sisters targeted at the queer community. 'But it's for everyone,' she added. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff The Revival International Center, a community church, gave out boxes of food to the hungry in Chelsea on June 19. Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff Esaie Joseph and Andrea Edmond, father and grandmother of 5-year-old Lens Arthur Joseph, were overcome with grief at their Hyde Park home on June 19. Lens was struck and killed by his school bus on April 28. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Karla Villar, a veteran, joined in chants as protesters marched after a rally to showcase their disapproval of President Trump's decision to bomb key Iran nuclear sites last night and advocate for the US not to enter into a war with Iran on June 22 in downtown Boston. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe Children posed for photos in the giant seashell at at the Fairmont Copley Plaza during the "baby prom" on June 4. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Social studies teacher Taylor Roberts (right) said goodbye to seventh-grader Nicole Barros Cardoso on the final day at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle school in Boston on June 23. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Maya Flaherty from Stonington, Conn., waved her flag as she watched the Pride parade on Boylston Street on June 14. This year, 'No King but Yaaas Queen' protesters marched in unison with the parade. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } .dipupnext_hed { font-family: "MillerHeadline-Bold", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: .75px; text-align: center; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1; margin-top: 3px; color: #000; width: 100%; font-weight: 600; } .dipupnext_cap_cred { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Regular", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align: left; margin: 3px 0px 5px 0px; font-weight: 200; color: #000; text-decoration: none; text-align: center; } .dipupnext_photo { max-width: 100%; height: auto; padding-top: 15px; opacity: 1; } .dipupnext__form:hover { opacity: .5; text-decoration: underline .5px; } .dipupnext__form{ opacity: 1; } .picupnext__container { width: 100%; position: relative; margin: 0 auto; } .dipupnext__content { width: 100%; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 3fr; } .cdipupnextcontainer { display: block; width:100%; height: auto; margin:0 auto; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; } .upnext { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Bold", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.15; margin-top: .5rem; letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000; padding: 8px 8px 4px 8px; margin-top: 5px; letter-spacing: .5px; } .upnext:before, .upnext:after { background-color: #000; content: ""; display: inline-block; height: 1px; position: relative; vertical-align: 4px; width: 32%; } .upnext:before { right: 0.3em; margin-left: -50%; } .upnext:after { left: 0.3em; margin-right: -50%; } .theme-dark .upnext:before { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext:after { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_cap_cred { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_hed { color: #fff; } @media screen and (min-width: 800px){ .dipupnext__content { grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; grid-column-gap: 40px; } } A look back
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Senators notebook: Claude Giroux's ‘difficult' negotiations, Shane Pinto contract, more
OTTAWA — Claude Giroux admits he wasn't the most fun person to be around last week. This time last week, a 'gap' lingered between Giroux and the Ottawa Senators on a contract extension. Talks had been ongoing for weeks. Even team owner Michael Andlauer stepped in alongside GM Steve Staios when they met with Giroux's agent Pat Brisson in Buffalo. The Senators were still waiting to hear back from Giroux's camp on Friday after the opening night of this year's NHL Draft. But it appeared Giroux had more desire to be in Ottawa than the other way around. A sentiment shared by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on TSN. Advertisement But eventually, a deal was done. Both sides mercifully crossed the finish line together, and Giroux can now worry about preparing for one more season in Senators colours. 'When it was done, it was definitely a relief,' Giroux said. Both the Senators and Giroux are thrilled that negotiations are finally over. Staios said Tuesday he experienced 'one of the most challenging starts' to a negotiation in his managerial career, balancing the act of trying to be fair to the player while maintaining salary cap flexibility. Giroux also expressed that contract negotiations were 'unpleasant.' 'It was the first time in my career that negotiations were difficult,' Giroux said. 'No one really likes to negotiate, but it's part of the business. At the end of the day, we were able to find a way to get it done.' Giroux says he was fine with a one-year contract, and that length was mentioned early in the negotiating process. It wasn't a 'deal-breaker.' Salary and performance bonuses proved trickier to nail down. And as much as the 37-year-old enjoyed his time in Ottawa, he was also preparing for the likelihood of testing the free agent market on July 1st. 'When you go to free agency, you have to look at your options,' Giroux said. 'That's just life. But every time that me and my family talked about it, it always came down (to the fact) that we like it here. We like the fans. I love my teammates. We just like everything about (Ottawa).' Giroux also wants to see this evolution of the Ottawa Senators through. The Senators broke an eight-year playoff drought this spring and their nucleus continues to take steps forward. Both Staios and head coach Travis Green expect their players to get better for next season. 'I wouldn't sign here if I didn't think they could do that,' Giroux said. 'I trust and believe in my teammates a lot. It's guys that I want to go to battle with. Guys I want to be around every day with. They chirp me every day. But just coming to the rink is a lot of fun. For me, that was a big (part of my) decision. You come to the rink every day and you're not enjoying yourself; it's not fun. Since I signed here, I didn't feel like (it was) a job once. And I don't think it will.' Advertisement One important question that surrounds Giroux now is his fit in the Sens' lineup. He made a home for himself last season with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle on the top line. But can he keep up with those two players as he gets older? Is his fit on a lower line on the Sens' depth chart? That's on Giroux to figure out, and he feels he can influence that with his play. 'You get the ice time you deserve,' Giroux said. 'If you put in the work and you play the right way and you play hard, you're going to play. It's as simple as that. I have a lot of confidence in myself that I know what I have to do to earn that ice time to be able to help the team. Whatever role I have, it's going to come down to how I play.' It appears the bulk of Ottawa's offseason work is behind them, if Staios' press conference on Tuesday was any indication. But there's a significant item on Staios' summer list: negotiating a contract extension for an integral young centre for Ottawa's core. Centre Shane Pinto was eligible for an extension as of Tuesday. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent next summer. Staios said negotiations with Pinto should begin 'soon.' Two years ago, the Senators announced a two-year, $7.5 million contract for Pinto. The young centre is now coming off a season where he established career highs in goals (21) and points (37) this past year while establishing himself in a checking line role and as a penalty killer. And whenever he feels like he wants to get better, he checks in with older players such as Giroux. 'Too many times,' Giroux joked when asked about how often Pinto goes to him for advice. 'We talk a lot about little details. It's fun to be around young players that want to learn. He always asks me about faceoffs. Every day, he's just trying to find a way to better himself. He's an ultimate team guy, also. He didn't play power play last year. He'd probably play on a lot of teams' power plays. But his attitude is incredible and his time will come.' Advertisement Pinto's Corsi rating dipped to 49.37 percent this past regular season, compared to his two previous seasons, where he was over 50 percent. But Pinto experienced some growing pains in Travis Green's new system before gaining more trust in crucial situations in the Sens' home stretch of their season. 'You want to be out there against the best,' Pinto said back in April. 'I, luckily, have done that role, and I've tried to embrace it. (Ridly Greig and Michael Amadio) have made it easy for me as well.' Pinto followed his regular season up with a goal and an assist in the postseason, even drawing tough assignments against the Toronto Maple Leafs' top players in their first-round series. Then, he joined the United States at this year's World Championship and won a gold medal. 'We feel like Shane's a big part of this group,' Staios said on Tuesday. It means it's not too soon to wonder aloud about what a contract extension could look like for the young forward. Evolving-Hockey projects a four-year contract extension carrying a $5.78 million annual average value that would make him an unrestricted free agent by 2030, which would be more than palatable for the Senators. Stützle, Dylan Cozens and Jake Sanderson each have contracts that expire in the early 2030s, putting a potential extension in line with their expiration dates. Such an extension is also expected to be below market value as he continues his growth. If the Sens decide to go longer on a Pinto extension, Evolving-Hockey projects a six-year contract with a $6.10 million AAV. 'I'm a huge fan of Shane Pinto, the way he plays, the way he is off the ice,' Giroux said. 'Incredible guy, and he works. It's a guy you want to go to battle with. He's just a player that does it all. His numbers haven't shown how good he is offensively. He's going to take that step. I don't know when it's going to be. But he's got potential to be a top centreman.' The Senators aren't done adding players, particularly for depth and Belleville. Advertisement The Sens announced Wednesday that they'd signed a handful of players, including winger Arthur Kaliyev, Hayden Hodgson, Olle Lycksell, Hunter Shepard and Wyatt Bongiovanni to two-way deals. Ottawa also signed goaltender Jackson Parsons to an entry-level deal. Kaliyev is a forward very familiar to Staios and Andlauer. He won an OHL championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs back in 2018 when Staios was general manager and Andlauer still owned the franchise. Kaliyev was a 2019 second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings, scoring a career-high 14 goals during the 2021-22 campaign. Last fall, Kaliyev suffered a fractured clavicle in training camp. By January, he was placed on waivers, where he was eventually plucked by the New York Rangers. Kaliyev scored three goals in 14 games before an upper-body injury ended his season in March. Staios told the media on Tuesday that he'd add an AHL goaltender, and it looks like Shepard and Parsons could help fill that role. Shepard spent the last six years with the AHL's Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals' minor-league affiliate and even played with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. Shepard had a 23-11-4 record with the Bears last year in the regular season with a 2.80 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. Parsons spent the last four seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, registering a 37-12-3 record with a .920 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against average. Lycksell was reported to be joining the Senators amidst their free-agent signings on Tuesday. Lycksell has one goal and 11 points in 45 career NHL games, but he's likely destined for AHL minutes in Belleville. Lycksell scored 19 goals and 44 points in 43 games with the Philadelphia Phantoms this past year. Hodgson and Bongiovanni will continue their time in the Senators' organization. Hodgson scored five goals and 11 points in 43 games with Belleville, adding 156 penalty minutes. Hodgson even played two NHL games in Ottawa this past year. Bongiovanni scored 22 goals in 54 games last year with Belleville. (Top photo of Claude Giroux: Darcy Finley / NHLI via Getty Images)
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Senators GM Steve Staios doubles down on core with quiet start to free agency
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators emerged from the opening day of NHL free agency having satisfied two major items on their offseason list. The first? Establishing and maintaining their salary cap flexibility, with over $5 million in remaining space, per PuckPedia. The second? Signing Lars Eller as their fourth-line centre and plugging a hole at the bottom of the forward corps. Advertisement A much quieter July 1 than last year, when they acquired Nick Jensen, Michael Amadio, Noah Gregor and David Perron. 'It was comforting going into this year, where we were looking for one specific area that if we could improve in it, we would,' Senators GM Steve Staios said Tuesday afternoon. 'We had our sights set on a certain individual, and it was Lars. If not, then we would've looked at other avenues to be able to do it. But we're excited to have him.' Staios spoke to the media moments after reports surfaced of Eller signing a one-year deal with the Senators. The deal has performance bonuses that will bring the max value of the contract to $2.25 million. It was Ottawa's biggest signing of the day. Staios made subtle tweaks to the roster as he said he would over the weekend, bringing back Nick Cousins and adding forward Olle Lycksell as depth. That came after the Sens re-signed Claude Giroux and added Jordan Spence via trade. Save for organizational moves in Belleville, that might be the full extent of Ottawa's shopping this offseason. Unless something drastic changes. 'I guess we'll see,' Staios said. 'Most likely not. We feel comfortable with where we are.' The Senators' relative lack of activity in recent days, at least compared to most other teams around the league, speaks to Staios' belief that his core can continue to progress as other rival teams take steps to either maintain their foothold in the playoffs or catch up. The pressure is on the roster to take that next step, mostly as currently constructed. 'We feel like we have a good plan in place for this group,' Staios said. '(We're) mindful of this group and their growth and their development. And I think it can't emphasize that enough. They are taking hold of it. The manager is there to support it and to make sure that you could add to where you need to add. The emphasis is on this group. Advertisement 'So, making additions is strategic to this group. I don't think that they need so much as the support around them to continue to grow and develop together.' It's consistent with how Staios has felt about the Senators at numerous times this season, even as concerns about their ability to score at five-on-five grew. Staios eventually addressed those concerns by acquiring Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund at the deadline, part of the overall changes in preparation for next year. 'It's been a little bit of a slow roll,' Staios said. But those changes come as his Atlantic Division foes have experienced significant movement. Yes, there's the Mitch Marner thing. But we're not talking about that here. And granted, it was difficult for many around the hockey world to keep track of the NHL's free agent news on July 1 as it came fast and furious. Even Staios wasn't up to date, for good reason. 'I haven't really seen what the other teams have done, and we're focused on what we're doing here, and we don't get distracted by what other teams are doing,' Staios said. Montreal traded for Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders over the weekend and added Zachary Bolduc and Sammy Blais for their fourth line. Detroit brought on John Gibson in the hopes of improving their goaltending. Boston acquired Viktor Arvidsson for a mid-round draft pick, in a type of deal that might have suited Staios, before adding Tanner Jeannot for their fourth line and signing Morgan Geekie long-term. Those are all teams that might fight Ottawa for a playoff spot come next April. The division still has Florida, Toronto and Tampa Bay at the top. But we don't expect that much of a drop-off for those three teams, especially since they each still possess elite players who can help power them through the regular season and beyond. Not to mention, each of those teams ended the season with better-ranked offences than Ottawa, whether overall or at five-on-five. Only two other Atlantic Division teams, Detroit and Boston, finished the regular season with fewer goals than Ottawa. Advertisement If the Senators continue to experience offensive woes, we'll go back to the offseason as an opportunity lost for Staios to improve his team. Signing Giroux back is a boost for the core as they lean on veterans in their transition. Expecting Zetterlund to produce more than he did in his handful of games with Ottawa could be a good bet. But that need for a top-six scorer still lingers. If that opportunity comes to accommodate said scorer, some cap space remains. The Senators won't have to worry about yo-yoing players back and forth from the NHL to the AHL in the name of saving money, as they did with Adam Gaudette, who will spend the next two seasons in San Jose. Having that $5 million plus in cap space is still a victory for the Senators on an otherwise quiet day. But if the right deal comes along, it's something they can tap into. 'Cap space is important moving forward,' Staios said. For now, Staios seems content with his core. The next step could even be a Shane Pinto extension, as Staios confirmed negotiations would be on the horizon. Staios' moves and words continue to affirm his belief in the core he's assembled. As was the case throughout the regular season, it's on the Senators to prove him right. (Top photo of the Ottawa Senators: Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photography / Getty Images)
