Marie-Philip Poulin (right) and Sarah Nurse, who co-starred in Canada’s 2022 run to Olympic gold, were rivals when Montreal and Toronto met in PWHL action at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on 8 January 2025.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
In December, Taylor Swift wrapped up her Eras Tour at BC Place Stadium. And on Wednesday night, the PWHL’s Takeover Tour hit Rogers Arena. For Vancouver fans, it’s been a true smorgasbord of female superstars lately.
On the Takeover Tour’s first Canadian stop, the Montreal Victoire continued to vie for first place in the PWHL standings with an exciting 4-2 win over the Toronto Sceptres. Rogers Arena – which hosted both men’s and women’s hockey at the 2010 Olympics – welcomed 19,038 fans. This was the largest crowd ever to witness women’s hockey in British Columbia and a season high for the league.
Marie-Philip Poulin, the legendary 33-year-old Victoire captain, returned in style to the site of her first of four Olympics. At 18, she scored twice to lift Canada to a 2-0 gold-medal victory over the U.S. in Vancouver. Similarly, Poulin had two goals against the Sceptres, including the spectacular second-period winner – on her knees – from almost the same spot as her 2010 go-ahead goal.
On the Takeover Tour’s first Canadian stop, the Montreal Victoire continued to vie for first place in the PWHL standings with an exciting 4-2 win over the Toronto Sceptres. Rogers Arena – which hosted both men’s and women’s hockey at the 2010 Olympics – welcomed 19,038 fans. This was the largest crowd ever to witness women’s hockey in British Columbia and a season high for the league.
Marie-Philip Poulin, the legendary 33-year-old Victoire captain, returned in style to the site of her first of four Olympics. At 18, she scored twice to lift Canada to a 2-0 gold-medal victory over the U.S. in Vancouver. Similarly, Poulin had two goals against the Sceptres, including the spectacular second-period winner – on her knees – from almost the same spot as her 2010 go-ahead goal.
The tour, which brings PWHL hockey to nine neutral-site cities, kicked off in Seattle. On 5 January, the Hilary Knight-captained Boston Fleet edged the Victoire 3-2 in a shootout, with 12,608 on hand at Climate Pledge Arena.
Playing on these high-profile stages is also a great way for national team members to get their games in order and prepare for the pressure of competing at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Czechia (Ceske Budejovice, 9 to 20 April).
“With six teams across the PWHL, we have players from different countries, and it just shows the product is going to get better at every World Championship,” said Poulin, the only player ever to score in four Olympic gold medal games. “Now you can see people are playing full-time. It's our job, and it’s exciting. There's no more taking [any] game for granted. It’s going to be a battle from Day One at the World Championship. Honestly, I haven't even thought that far. But it's going to be exciting, and I'm looking forward to it.”
Toronto’s Natalie Spooner – the PWHL scoring champ and IIHF Female Player of the Year for 2023-24 – remained sidelined as she recovers from her knee surgery. But there was plenty of other IIHF star power to light up Rogers Arena.
Poulin was up against Toronto’s Sarah Nurse, who set a new Olympic single-tournament points record (18) in the last Canadian gold-medal run in Beijing. Victoire goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, whose 0.80 GAA led the 2022 Winter Games, made 29 saves to thwart the Sceptres, who sit last in the standings. European notables ranged from Montreal’s Anna Kjellbin (Sweden) to Toronto’s Noemi Neubauerova (Czechia).
Playing on these high-profile stages is also a great way for national team members to get their games in order and prepare for the pressure of competing at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Czechia (Ceske Budejovice, 9 to 20 April).
“With six teams across the PWHL, we have players from different countries, and it just shows the product is going to get better at every World Championship,” said Poulin, the only player ever to score in four Olympic gold medal games. “Now you can see people are playing full-time. It's our job, and it’s exciting. There's no more taking [any] game for granted. It’s going to be a battle from Day One at the World Championship. Honestly, I haven't even thought that far. But it's going to be exciting, and I'm looking forward to it.”
Toronto’s Natalie Spooner – the PWHL scoring champ and IIHF Female Player of the Year for 2023-24 – remained sidelined as she recovers from her knee surgery. But there was plenty of other IIHF star power to light up Rogers Arena.
Poulin was up against Toronto’s Sarah Nurse, who set a new Olympic single-tournament points record (18) in the last Canadian gold-medal run in Beijing. Victoire goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, whose 0.80 GAA led the 2022 Winter Games, made 29 saves to thwart the Sceptres, who sit last in the standings. European notables ranged from Montreal’s Anna Kjellbin (Sweden) to Toronto’s Noemi Neubauerova (Czechia).
Of course, the PWHL also offers opportunities to players who have yet to crack their senior national teams. Montreal’s Jennifer Gardiner, a 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship gold medalist from the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, got a huge cheer during the pre-game introductions.
“Playing in Vancouver in my hometown is so surreal, and doing it with this team that we have is so special,” Gardiner said. “I was looking around the crowd, and to see the amount of little girls out there who have dreamed of playing in a professional women's hockey league their whole life and will get to do it one day is so special.”
And there are PWHL players who still have a window of opportunity to make their dream of wearing a national team jersey come true.
Take Mikayla Grant-Mentis, the now-defunct NWHL’s 2021 MVP. The 26-year-old Canadian power forward got in behind the Toronto defence to open the scoring less than five minutes in. In the second period, from behind the net, Grant-Mentis sent a fantastic back pass to Claire Dalton to double the lead. Pulling off plays like that in front of Troy Ryan – head coach of both the Sceptres and Canada’s national team – is not a bad way to make an impression.
Despite falling short versus Montreal, Ryan was impressed by the passion and hunger for women’s hockey in Vancouver.
“I usually go out in the warm-up for probably five minutes to just get a little bit of a feel for the atmosphere,” Ryan said. “And I stayed the entire warm-up. I 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. You know you’re in a great hockey environment when two teams are battling against each other and the majority of the fans are cheering for both sides.”
The “Scream if you love women’s hockey!” exhortation on the giant video cube was an easy sell. Scores of girls’ hockey teams packed the stands, their exuberance bringing to mind the current U18 Women’s Worlds in Vantaa, Finland. A Barbie dance cam and mass sing-along to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” also hyped up the atmosphere.
Local pro sports clubs came out in force, too, including members of the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps, BC Lions (Canadian football), and Vancouver Warriors (lacrosse). The UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team was there to root for longtime teammate Rylind MacKinnon, now a rookie Sceptres blueliner.
“Playing in Vancouver in my hometown is so surreal, and doing it with this team that we have is so special,” Gardiner said. “I was looking around the crowd, and to see the amount of little girls out there who have dreamed of playing in a professional women's hockey league their whole life and will get to do it one day is so special.”
And there are PWHL players who still have a window of opportunity to make their dream of wearing a national team jersey come true.
Take Mikayla Grant-Mentis, the now-defunct NWHL’s 2021 MVP. The 26-year-old Canadian power forward got in behind the Toronto defence to open the scoring less than five minutes in. In the second period, from behind the net, Grant-Mentis sent a fantastic back pass to Claire Dalton to double the lead. Pulling off plays like that in front of Troy Ryan – head coach of both the Sceptres and Canada’s national team – is not a bad way to make an impression.
Despite falling short versus Montreal, Ryan was impressed by the passion and hunger for women’s hockey in Vancouver.
“I usually go out in the warm-up for probably five minutes to just get a little bit of a feel for the atmosphere,” Ryan said. “And I stayed the entire warm-up. I 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. You know you’re in a great hockey environment when two teams are battling against each other and the majority of the fans are cheering for both sides.”
The “Scream if you love women’s hockey!” exhortation on the giant video cube was an easy sell. Scores of girls’ hockey teams packed the stands, their exuberance bringing to mind the current U18 Women’s Worlds in Vantaa, Finland. A Barbie dance cam and mass sing-along to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” also hyped up the atmosphere.
Local pro sports clubs came out in force, too, including members of the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps, BC Lions (Canadian football), and Vancouver Warriors (lacrosse). The UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team was there to root for longtime teammate Rylind MacKinnon, now a rookie Sceptres blueliner.
Out of all the signs in the crowd, “Bring the Puck West: Vancouver wants a PWHL team” got a real roar in the third period. It’s no secret that the PWHL is seriously considering expansion. The league could, according to reports, add as many as two new franchises for 2025-26.
Could it be Vancouver and Seattle? Both are friendly to women’s sports. The WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC are well-supported, and Vancouver Rise FC will debut in the new Northern Super League this year with soccer great Christine Sinclair as a part-owner. And there is a natural geographic rivalry and easy access for fans to attend hockey games in both cities.
That said, these are certainly not the only contenders. Running through 29 March, the Takeover Tour will also grace Denver, Quebec City, Edmonton, Buffalo, Raleigh, Detroit, and St. Louis. That’s an eye-catching group of NHL, World Junior, and IIHF World Championship host cities. Others are in the mix too, from Calgary to Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.
It’s nice to be overwhelmed with choices. That’s a dilemma that (for example) women’s hockey fans in Vancouver are facing right now.
Should they set their alarm clocks to watch North Van-born Chloe Primerano captain Team Canada in the U18 Women’s Worlds medal round on TSN? Get their daughters ready to participate in the Surrey edition of Wickfest (30 January to 2 February), Hayley Wickenheiser’s popular girls’ hockey festival? Or get their gaming fix with NHL 25 by EA Sports, which features Women’s Worlds rosters as well as (starting this season) PWHL teams?
In any scenario, the popularity of women’s hockey will continue to rise. It’s not quite at the point where Taylor Swift needs to worry about losing market share. But it should remind her to respect every rival and give 110 percent out there.
Could it be Vancouver and Seattle? Both are friendly to women’s sports. The WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC are well-supported, and Vancouver Rise FC will debut in the new Northern Super League this year with soccer great Christine Sinclair as a part-owner. And there is a natural geographic rivalry and easy access for fans to attend hockey games in both cities.
That said, these are certainly not the only contenders. Running through 29 March, the Takeover Tour will also grace Denver, Quebec City, Edmonton, Buffalo, Raleigh, Detroit, and St. Louis. That’s an eye-catching group of NHL, World Junior, and IIHF World Championship host cities. Others are in the mix too, from Calgary to Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.
It’s nice to be overwhelmed with choices. That’s a dilemma that (for example) women’s hockey fans in Vancouver are facing right now.
Should they set their alarm clocks to watch North Van-born Chloe Primerano captain Team Canada in the U18 Women’s Worlds medal round on TSN? Get their daughters ready to participate in the Surrey edition of Wickfest (30 January to 2 February), Hayley Wickenheiser’s popular girls’ hockey festival? Or get their gaming fix with NHL 25 by EA Sports, which features Women’s Worlds rosters as well as (starting this season) PWHL teams?
In any scenario, the popularity of women’s hockey will continue to rise. It’s not quite at the point where Taylor Swift needs to worry about losing market share. But it should remind her to respect every rival and give 110 percent out there.