More than 18,000 spectators packed Madison Square Garden back in April to watch the Seattle Torrent, then-captained by Hilary Knight, play against the New York Sirens. That night set the highest single match attendance record for a women's hockey game in a U.S. arena, a moment that had everyone buzzing at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala just last week in New York City. The energy around women's sports is absolutely undeniable, and our Emerald City team was right in the thick of making history.
Hilary Knight and the Power of Visibility
Hilary Knight, a 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree, spoke passionately on the red carpet about how "so important" it is to watch women's sports. Knight, who famously led the U.S. women's hockey team to their gold-medal victory at the Milano Cortina Olympic Games in February, nailed it when she said, "Visibility is huge." She knows what it takes to bring eyes to the game, and watching our Seattle Torrent captain play in front of over 18,000 screaming fans? That's visibility on a whole new level. To have people "show up and be a part of what we're doing is just so incredible," she added. Knight truly believes that "sport can unite people like nothing else," and seeing those crowds, it's hard to argue with her.The Rise Is Real: From the Ice to the Pitch
Knight wasn't alone in celebrating this massive shift. Eileen Gu, another 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree and a six-time Olympic medal winner, perfectly summed up the moment: "Everybody watches women's sports!" Gu, a Chinese-American freestyle skier, spoke about growing up in a male-dominated sport and feeling "honored" to be "among greatness" at the gala. She hopes her presence "encourages just one young girl at home to give it a shot and feel like this sport belongs to her too." Closing out the red carpet was Trinity Rodman, a 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree and an American soccer player. Just the night before the gala, Rodman and her Washington Spirit teammates faced Gotham FC at Citi Field, drawing a sold-out crowd of over 40,000 fans. That game actually broke the attendance record for a women's sporting event in New York City history! Rodman emphasized the importance of showing young fans her personality both on and off the field. "You want to play the best, perform the best, and get all these achievements, but at the end of the day you're also the person off the field," she said, highlighting the human connection. What's clear from these record-breaking crowds and these amazing athletes is that women's sports are soaring. For us in Seattle, seeing our very own Torrent captain, Hilary Knight, at the center of this movement, making history at Madison Square Garden, just makes us even prouder to be part of the Emerald City sports scene. The momentum is real, and it's only getting bigger from here.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.