VANCOUVER, BC – In front of a crowd of 19,038, the PWHL didn’t look out of place. After all, it was thousands of fans off the biggest crowd in league history.
While the fourth PWHL neutral site game brought the league to Vancouver, it looked like it belonged in front of the sold-out crowd. The packed NHL arenas will never get old for the PWHL and its players — but they’re becoming nearly expected.
Wednesday’s game had the third-highest attendance in the league’s brief history and the highest midweek attendance.
As the Montreal Victoire returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory over the last-place Toronto Sceptres, they did so with a confident swagger after an emotional start. Greater Vancouver’s Jennifer Gardiner and Marie-Philip Poulin, the nation’s most recognizable women’s hockey player, were emotional in the player introductions but quickly put that aside.
“I was shaking and smiling; just every single emotion was going through me, but I was also just taking in the moment,” Gardiner said of her thoughts pre-game.
“Today and this entire trip has been so special to be out on the West Coast in front of friends and family…playing in Rogers Arena is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Goals from Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Claire Dalton and Poulin and another standout goaltending performance from Anne-Renné Desbiens were enough for Montreal to rise to 17 points and pick up their fourth regulation win. They passed the Minnesota Frost, who had taken over first earlier in the evening.
The form from Montreal, though, and the dip in the Sceptres’ record didn’t matter much to the fans. Signs for “Can we have a PWHL team” dotted the stands, drawing the evening’s loudest cheers, while fans buoyed both hockey clubs.
There was rarely a moment between plays where players weren’t smiling. The building matched that of the league’s most significant moments, and despite no home team, the fans were involved in every play.
“Just knowing that we’re across our country and still having so many fans behind us is amazing. We felt it from the puck drop and the anthems; people are there for both teams,” Poulin said. “You looked around, you saw signs, you saw jerseys, it’s like, ‘Holy, this is quite amazing, we’re part of this, and it’s beyond the wildest dream.’”
A return to inaugural season energy
That’s what was different about the vibe inside the arena for the PWHL compared to the usual tenants, the Vancouver Canucks.
Gone were the anxieties surrounding purely a result that encapsulates the NHL and have been a welcome addition to Year 2 of the PWHL. But, the energies surrounding the inaugural PWHL season returned, a refreshing moment for two teams amid the grind of a 30-game campaign.
There was a specific curiosity that the league hadn’t felt in the same way in Year 2 and one that can only come with a novelty factor. While there is still that shine in the original markets, bringing the league back to a standout moment was a good reminder of how far things have grown.
Less than 380 days in, the league has played in front of sold-out NHL buildings in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, something seldom predicted upon its launch on Jan. 1, 2024.
“Growing the game and leaving a footprint in the community is integral to who we are and what we’ve been doing for our entire careers,” Toronto’s Sarah Nurse said. “But when you think of a game like this, it’s not a preseason, it’s not an exhibition game — these are three very meaningful points, and I think that we’ve done a great job of being professionals and rising to the occasion.”
Victoire forge into first
While Nurse’s Sceptres fell further down the standings in last place, the Victoire continued to rise amid their second of four stops on the Takeover Tour. Although Poulin’s contributions and a two-goal game on Wednesday remain critical, the hockey club has adjusted, with all four lines offering threats.
At the same time, they held off Toronto’s mid-game push, not surrendering a multi-goal lead in the same fashion as they did against the Boston Fleet in Seattle. That composure and growth in the hockey club has proven critical, especially with a lengthy road trip on the Takeover Tour.
“I’ve been really happy with our group and how much they’re buying into how we’re trying to play as a team,” Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie said. “It’s not perfect yet, but we are relentlessly preparing for that and we saw tonight that our players are ready, they’re bought in, and we get rewarded with three points, and that’s the most important thing.”
With the Seattle and Vancouver games over, the Victoire now looks ahead to their remaining Takeover Tour games: Denver against the Frost and Quebec City against the Ottawa Charge.
Vancouver. When?
The looming question for fans leaving the arena was straightforward: When might they have a team of their own to cheer?
PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jayna Hefford, made it clear on Tuesday that the league sees “great potential” in the market and on the West Coast. Still, Wednesday’s crowd also made their intentions known through every avenue, whether signs, PWHL team merchandise, or simply by being in the building.
Given the geography, arena availability and ownership structures, there are plenty of challenges of how a Vancouver team would work. However, the sheer involvement may have surpassed even the PWHL’s hopes and dreams for Vancouver.
Still, the Takeover Tour did precisely what the league hoped to achieve. It tested the waters for Vancouver, and the market passed from a fan perspective. At the same time, it allowed a fresh group of fans to experience the league, something not lost on head coach Troy Ryan, who has seen several North American hockey markets in his Team Canada leadership.
“I usually go out in the warm-up for probably five minutes to get a bit of a feel for the atmosphere, and I stayed the entire warm-up because I just love sitting back and watching our players enjoy the atmosphere, but also watching a lot of the young kids and the signs they bring, it’s just unique,” Ryan said.
“You know you’re in a great hockey environment when two teams are battling against each other, and the majority of their fans are cheering for both sides. Very seldom do you get a player announcement at the start of the game, and you get standing ovations for both teams.”
For now, the city waits. The fans return home without a local team to cheer for or any indication of a future showcase game in the province soon. Yet, the numbers and atmosphere made something clear — Vancouver wants the PWHL. Now, it’s a waiting game on expansion.
