A successful first look at the PWHL in Vancouver

What happened: A ruckus crowd of over 19,000 packed Rogers Arena last week to see some of the best female hockey players in the world – including Canadian stars Marie Philipe-Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Renata Fast, and Ann-Renée Desbiens – play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) first ever game in Vancouver as part of the new league’s “takeover tour” where games are hosted in different cities that don’t have teams. 

The game: The Montréal Victoire beat the Toronto Sceptres 4-2 in a hard-fought and ultimately close contest. Poulin, nicknamed Captain Clutch for her timely goals in multiple gold medal matches at the Olympics and widely regarded as the best player in the world in the women’s game, did not disappoint. 

• With her Montréal team already up 2-0 in the second period, Poulin collected a rebound from her knees near the faceoff dot and, seeming to momentarily levitate, picked the top corner with a perfect shot. The highlight is worth seeing for yourself. 

Expansion dreams: There’s clearly a big appetite for women’s pro hockey in Vancouver. The announced attendance of 19,038 was slightly more than the biggest crowd for a Canucks game this season. 

• Tickets for the game sold out in less than two days, according to the Hockey News. 

While that sort of crowd couldn’t be expected if Vancouver had a team of their own, it certainly demonstrates how sizable and eager the local fanbase already is. With a nod to our Lookout compatriots in the nation’s capital, the Ottawa Charge had the highest average attendance (7,496 in 2024) among current PWHL teams.

Distance is a big factor for the league in considering expansion destinations. Only in its second season, the PWHL is made up of six teams, most of whom are located near the East Coast. 

Getting a team in Vancouver would likely require another expansion franchise coming to Western Canada and the United States at the same time, according to CBC. Edmonton, Seattle, and Denver are also hosting games in the takeover tour and would also be good candidates to get a franchise.