Canada beat the United States on the opening day of the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ottawa, the first time the event was held at an NHL venue.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
Growing the women’s game has taken many forms over the last three decades. It has gone from a “trial” event in 1990, which it passed with flying colours, to an Olympic medal event, to an annual event.
Four of the first eight tournaments were hosted by Canada, and another two by the U.S. and Finland, but always in small venues. The 1990 tournament in Ottawa was hosted by the Civic Centre, home to the OHL 67’s. Two years later, the games in Tampere were played in a two-pad complex with average attendance of 927. The entire 20-game tournament drew 18,540 fans!
In 1994, games in Lake Placid were played at the Olympic Center, and attendance wasn’t even recorded except for the gold medal game, which drew a crowd of 3,198.
In 1997, Hockey Canada used a variety of arenas in the Kitchener, Ontario area, all smaller venues. It wasn’t until 2007, when many of the games were played in Winnipeg, that an NHL-size arena was first used. The Women’s Worlds that year were played mostly at the new MTS Centre, which would become home to the NHL Jets a few years later (2011, to be exact). That event drew a record 119,231 fans and averaged a record 5,962 per game. Twice sellouts of 15,003 were recorded, both for Canada-United States games.
Finally, in 2013, with the tournament back in Ottawa, the Women’s Worlds were played at an NHL venue, Scotiabank Place, and on 5 February 2013, a still record crowd of 18,013 filled the arena to watch Canada beat Finland, 8-0.
Many of the games at SBP averaged “only” 5,000 or so, but these numbers were still without compare except for Winnipeg six years earlier. Regardless, it was the symbolism that was important. Hockey Canada believed the world was ready for women’s hockey in an NHL arena, and hopefully it won’t be long for the game to be paid a similar compliment again.
No doubt the impetus for this ambitious venue placement was the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. At no time in the last 30 years has women’s hockey been so well showcased and games played before such mammoth crowds. Despite the fact that several of the games were played at the small Thunderbird Arena on the campus of University of British Columbia, the 20 games at that Olympics attracted 162,419 fans, an average of 8,121. The Canada-U.S. gold-medal game drew 16,805 fans, an Olympic record to this day.
More recently, on 9 February 2020, the final game of the Canada-United States Rivalry Series at the Honda Center in Anaheim drew a U.S.-record crowd of 13,320. These crowds in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver, and then Anaheim, would have been unthinkable in 1990 or even by 1998.
The women’s game has developed in many ways in its 30 years of existence, and fan support is another marker in this progress.
Click here for the overview of stories.
Four of the first eight tournaments were hosted by Canada, and another two by the U.S. and Finland, but always in small venues. The 1990 tournament in Ottawa was hosted by the Civic Centre, home to the OHL 67’s. Two years later, the games in Tampere were played in a two-pad complex with average attendance of 927. The entire 20-game tournament drew 18,540 fans!
In 1994, games in Lake Placid were played at the Olympic Center, and attendance wasn’t even recorded except for the gold medal game, which drew a crowd of 3,198.
In 1997, Hockey Canada used a variety of arenas in the Kitchener, Ontario area, all smaller venues. It wasn’t until 2007, when many of the games were played in Winnipeg, that an NHL-size arena was first used. The Women’s Worlds that year were played mostly at the new MTS Centre, which would become home to the NHL Jets a few years later (2011, to be exact). That event drew a record 119,231 fans and averaged a record 5,962 per game. Twice sellouts of 15,003 were recorded, both for Canada-United States games.
Finally, in 2013, with the tournament back in Ottawa, the Women’s Worlds were played at an NHL venue, Scotiabank Place, and on 5 February 2013, a still record crowd of 18,013 filled the arena to watch Canada beat Finland, 8-0.
Many of the games at SBP averaged “only” 5,000 or so, but these numbers were still without compare except for Winnipeg six years earlier. Regardless, it was the symbolism that was important. Hockey Canada believed the world was ready for women’s hockey in an NHL arena, and hopefully it won’t be long for the game to be paid a similar compliment again.
No doubt the impetus for this ambitious venue placement was the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. At no time in the last 30 years has women’s hockey been so well showcased and games played before such mammoth crowds. Despite the fact that several of the games were played at the small Thunderbird Arena on the campus of University of British Columbia, the 20 games at that Olympics attracted 162,419 fans, an average of 8,121. The Canada-U.S. gold-medal game drew 16,805 fans, an Olympic record to this day.
More recently, on 9 February 2020, the final game of the Canada-United States Rivalry Series at the Honda Center in Anaheim drew a U.S.-record crowd of 13,320. These crowds in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver, and then Anaheim, would have been unthinkable in 1990 or even by 1998.
The women’s game has developed in many ways in its 30 years of existence, and fan support is another marker in this progress.
Click here for the overview of stories.