With six games played in their inaugural PWHL season, PWHL Ottawa has already made an indelible mark on the city. Four home games and a combined 25,451 fans in attendance later, the team has been welcomed with open arms.
TD Place Arena is now home to not only a professional women’s hockey team, but also the hopes of past and present generations of hockey fans, who long to see the continued success of women’s professional hockey.
“I think we’ve all played hockey since we were little, so the inaugural season was a no-brainer,” PWHL Ottawa season ticket holder Britt Hurley said. “We were always gonna come and support and be here for the fun of it.”
Hurley and her friends Danika Smith and Stephanie D’Souza are all season ticket holders. Although none of them had ever purchased season tickets before, they all felt it was something they needed to invest in as female hockey players.
Even without the on-ice result, the new Ottawa fans were elated that a professional women’s hockey team is in town.
“We all would’ve absolutely loved even just the idea of playing in a league like this when we were growing up,” Smith said.
The support the team has received in just four home games hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players.
“We love playing here,” Ottawa goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer said postgame Jan. 17. “Our fans are incredible.”
Throughout the game, the crowd completed several “waves” around the arena, booed referees, and reacted with gusto to the physicality on display by their home team. Many young hockey players filled the seats, hoisting hand-made signs and wearing their own minor hockey jerseys to support Ottawa.
Jarrad Haas is another season ticket holder and self-proclaimed armchair coach. He couldn’t hold back his excitement when Ottawa was announced as one of the ‘original six’ PWHL teams.
“I collect jerseys already. I’m a huge sports fan,” Haas said. “So when Ottawa got a women’s team I was like, ‘Well I gotta get the jersey, I gotta get the season tickets, I’ve gotta get everything.’”
For Haas, the league affirms a strong fan presence for women’s hockey in Ottawa — one that stems from historical beginnings in the early 20th century with the Ottawa Alerts.
“I think this league is really gonna prove Ottawa is a rabid hockey city,” Haas said. “And if you give them one of the first teams you will have Ottawa fans at every game.”
Previous attempts at women’s professional hockey leagues, including the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the National Women’s Hockey League — later renamed the Premier Hockey Federation — have tried and fallen short of success due to financial and organization issues. This was highlighted by player boycotts and a rift between the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association and the PHF.
“I think they’re doing it right,” Smith said. “It’s truly professional. The players are getting paid, the coaches are getting paid. The fans, the stands are full right now. And I think that there’s a market.”
“If you’ve got even a slight interest in women’s hockey, just tune in because I assure you will not be disappointed with the product on ice,” Haas said.
Featured image by Janson Duench/The Charlatan.
