Training camp kicked off Nov. 15 at TD Place Arena for PWHL Ottawa, the city’s new professional women’s hockey team.
On Nov. 14, all six PWHL teams unveiled their jersey designs for the inaugural season. Each team’s jersey sports their home city stretched diagonally across the torso in their unique colour palette.
PWHL Ottawa sports a dark red torso with storm blue shoulders, wrists and lettering, as well as a white trim around the letters and numbers. This will be the case until the league’s second season, when it will reveal new team names and logos.
Hayley Scamurra, Ottawa’s 29th overall selection in the PWHL draft, shared her feelings on the team’s jersey design.
“I’m so excited, the jerseys are beautiful,” she said. “I can’t wait to wear them this season.”
With training camp underway, PWHL Ottawa is now sharing TD Place with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, the city’s major junior hockey team. Sharing the arena won’t be an issue, according to PWHL Ottawa GM Mike Hirshfeld.
“They’ve been great, they’ve been terrific partners,” Hirshfeld said. “We’re thrilled to be here.”
He said TD Place is an ideal home for several reasons. As an established sport and concert venue, a ticketing system is already in place for the team’s games. So far, PWHL Ottawa is one of the only teams in the league to have dedicated dressing rooms in their venue.
“Historically, this player group has had to drag their bags with them wherever they go and get on buses and stuff,” Hirshfeld said. “So I think it’s a really great thing for them to have a place they can call their own home.”
Hirschfeld said he also appreciates the “long history of women’s hockey” at TD Place Arena.
In 1990, the arena hosted the first women’s hockey world championship.
On Nov. 19, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University’s women’s hockey teams will face off at TD Place in the annual Colonel By Classic for the Alerts Cup. The Alerts Cup is named after the Ottawa Alerts, the city’s original women’s hockey team that was iced from 1915 to 1930.
Hirshfeld revealed PWHL Ottawa players will be at the event for the puck-drop ceremony and to sign autographs.
Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod made it clear there’s still plenty of work ahead for the team in training camp.
“It’s gonna be setting a tone for who we are and what we’re about,” MacLeod said.
The roster currently sits at a total of 29 players. However, the league requires that teams reduce to 23 players by Dec. 9. With only three and a half weeks to meet that deadline, PWHL Ottawa’s management also has their work cut out for them.
Following the Dec. 9 roster deadline, the next milestone in the league’s calendar isn’t exact. The puck is expected to drop some time in January 2024 for the PWHL’s inaugural season.
The league has generated excitement as a true best-on-best women’s hockey experience for players and fans. With only six teams and a collection of the world’s best female hockey players, the league is densely packed with talent.
“There isn’t a bad team in this league,” MacLeod said. “It’s gonna be highly competitive, which is exciting.”
“I’m excited for fans to come and watch how talented they really are,” Hirshfeld added.
“I think you’ll see a lot of fast hockey. There’s not as much hitting in this league as there would be in the NHL, so it’s a really fast and skilled game,” Hirshfeld continued. “I think the fans will really enjoy it.”
But the new league is an opportunity for more than just entertaining hockey.
Despite being a two-time Olympic gold-medalist and three-time world champion, Jenner said playing in the PWHL’s inaugural season will be her biggest imprint on women’s hockey to date.
“I think this might be the most impactful thing our generation of hockey players will do,” Jenner said. “I think it may be the greatest legacy that we leave, and this is day one of the dream job.”
The opportunity this league provides for women’s hockey worldwide isn’t lost on the team’s head coach.
“The importance now is on us to make sure this becomes a reality for everyday,” MacLeod said.
For women like MacLeod and Jenner who have reached the pinnacle of women’s hockey in their careers, it is clear that this league could help illuminate a path for other women to succeed in the sport.
“It’s huge for each of us in our personal journeys but we also understand that this is day one of a future for so many young girls around the world,” Jenner said. “It’s pretty cool that there’s gonna be a league for them to aspire to play in.”
Featured image by David Cummings.
