Olympic-Bound Women's Hockey Teams Coming to Plymouth

PLYMOUTH, MI – An international women’s hockey championship to determine who will skate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea is coming to Plymouth in 2017.

USA Hockey, which now owns the former Compuware Arena, told WDIV-TV that the best teams in the world will face off at 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship.

Company spokesman Dave Fischer said the women’s hockey world championships offers a glimpse at the kind of events USA Hockey hopes to attract to the Plymouth area.

“Very rarely do communities have the opportunity to host a major international event, and we expect as the years tick by that fans will have that opportunity several times,” Fischer said. “And anytime a gold medal is on the line I think that’s something really special. The Olympic ideals, people love the Olympics, and just think about coming to USA Hockey Arena here in Plymouth and seeing that caliber of competition.”

The arena is the former home ice for the Plymouth Whalers junior hockey team — now playing in the Ontario Hockey League as the Flint Firebirds. Former arena owner Peter Karmanos also sold the Whalers last year.

» Patch file photo