The sun shone and the wind howled as a bustling crowd approached the west-side doors of the Canadian Tire Centre in early April.
Thousands surged into the building that’s adorned in red, white and black flags, and decorated with banners of Ottawa Senators players.
But the fans weren’t there to see the likes of Sens stars Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson.
Instead, they were wearing the red, yellow and grey colours of the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge.
They were there for the new women’s pro hockey team in town, which — despite not having banners dedicated to them in the CTC — has taken the city’s hockey community by storm over the past three years.
Although the team has played since its inaugural 2023-24 season at Lansdowne Park’s TD Place Arena, which seats just under 10,000 fans, the early April game served as one of the team’s first games ever at the much larger, NHL-calibre, 18,000-seat rink in Ottawa’s Kanata suburb.
As the TD Place Arena faces downsizing as part of the controversial Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment project and the future of the Charge’s home remains uncertain, to some, the attendance at the April game at CTC was a test. Charge supporters wanted to show that the city’s women’s hockey fanbase can fill an arena designed for much larger than what the new TD Place will offer: expected capacity just 5,000.
More than 17,000 fans rose to the challenge in April, breaking the league attendance record, as people of all ages entered the concourse wearing lightning bolt headbands, Ottawa Charge jerseys or t-shirts and vibrant face paint to support their team.
April’s attendance stunner highlighted the ever-increasing interest in women’s hockey seen across the league. This regular season, PWHL attendance rose by 28 per cent to 9,304 fans per game, marking a 71-per-cent increase from the league’s inaugural season.
On May 8, as the Charge hosted Game 3 of their PWHL semi-final series against the Boston Fleet at the Canadian Tire Centre, the teams set an all-time league playoff attendance record of 13,112.
At the April game, a young girl in her minor hockey jersey smiled with wide eyes as a staff member handed her an Emily Clark bobblehead at the top of the concourse stairs. The Clark figurine — just the second to honour one of the Charge’s star players after a previous tribute to team captain Brianne Jenner — is one of the very few women’s hockey bobbleheads ever made.
Some fans stopped by poster-making stations, writing messages of support for the team. The placards had messages like “My first hockey game,” “Girls run the world,” and words of encouragement to favourite players. Others connected the game to broader social issues, drawing rainbow pride flags beneath their “Go Charge Go” notes, or writing “Size matters, Sutcliffe” to express their dismay over the TD Place downsizing supported by Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
As spectators found their seats, a video tribute from fans and players expressing how much the Charge means to them played on the jumbotron as fans began to cheer.
Fans blew into their kazoos, a unique trend started by Charge supporters last season. And despite being shut out 3-0 in the late-season match against the Montreal Victoire, fans maintained high energy throughout the game. They danced, cheered on the team and held posters up high with hopes of making an appearance on the big screen.
Those who attend Charge games like the April 3 match say they’re immersing in a fan atmosphere unlike any other pro sports team in Ottawa. Many say they notice a different kind of crowd that creates a unique energy in the arena, whether the game is played at TD Place or CTC.
A 2025 Vividata study confirmed this distinct fanbase in findings that showed compared to NHL fans, PWHL fans tend to be younger and more likely to be female or belong to a racialized group.
But what attracts this crowd and how this energy is created is an idea people within the Charge organization and those observing the phenomenon from outside agree was built through a mix of intention and an organic love for women’s hockey.
Britt Hurley has been a Charge season ticket holder since the team’s inaugural season and is a captain with Ottawa Pride Hockey, which offers a league, skills sessions and drop-in scrimmages for queer players. She says what makes Charge games unique is the community built around the team.
“TD Place specifically becomes such a welcoming environment when you’re in the stands,” she said. “I think that’s the big impact the Charge has had, is the community that’s kind of come up around it.”
Hurley said Charge games have become an important gathering place for members of the queer community in particular.
“Often, we make fun of the fact that it’s pretty much the best way to meet a lesbian person … you walk around the stadium and the queerness is just visible.”
Hurley, who has been playing hockey for 36 years — and ringette for 10 years before that — said the Charge have already improved hockey culture in Ottawa after just three years in the city.
‘Often, we make fun of the fact that it’s pretty much the best way to meet a lesbian person … you walk around the stadium and the queerness is just visible.’
— Britt Hurley, Ottawa Charge fan
Hurley said this is the first time she’s seen this level of comfort within the queer community at the professional sports level. Although she said the league could do more to overtly include queer fans, they said Charge games are much more LGBTQ+-friendly than Sens games, where she said there’s a common feeling of unsafety among Ottawa Pride Hockey members.
“(Charge games are) a place for our community to be out and be themselves, and it actually feels safe in a sporting context,” Hurley said. “When you compare it to other hockey environments and hockey cultures … it’s just a vast difference.”
Hurley said part of this culture is also about building women’s hockey for future generations. She said her experience in youth hockey has been night and day from her queer 19-year-old niece’s time growing up in the sport, largely because of the PWHL’s existence over the last three years.
In addition to highlighting women’s hockey role models, the league also represents many queer players, including several couples within the league.
Queer PWHL players themselves, such as former Charge goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, have played a role in this portrayal by frequently posting about their family lives on social media. Several PWHL couples have also been portrayed in the media, with some, such as the Victoire’s Marie-Phillip Poulin and Laura Stacey playing on the same team, and others, like Shiann Darkangelo and Elaine Chuili playing on the rivaled Toronto and Montreal teams.
“You can see the impact that has had on (my niece), just for her safety and her comfort in the world, being able to point to these examples of strong queer women living their life openly,” Hurley said.
The PWHL also leans into pride celebrations by frequently highlighting posters celebrating queer identities on the jumbotron.
One example Payton Harrison, the Charge’s manager of game production and fan experience pointed to, was the craze around the hit queer hockey romance TV show, Heated Rivalry. When fans showed up with posters related to the show, she said cameras would often point to them, and arena staff would play recognizable music from the show, igniting a cheerful response from the crowd.
For Hurley, this sense of community is primarily created by the fans themselves. As a women’s team, she said the Charge culture has been centred around women’s sports and the “hard work” women tend to do to bring community together.
“I think that’s just part of the women’s approach to sports. It is about community. It’s about friendship. It’s about caring for each other and working towards something together. And I think that reflects in the culture the Charge have.”
Harrison agrees that much of the “indescribable feeling” at Charge games is created by fans themselves.
She said the common mindset of wanting to celebrate women’s hockey unites the fanbase, with many new fans buying a single ticket and making friends at the game.
“As much as I can say that we are trying to build that sense of community, our fans are coming with it, and we’re just along for the ride and trying to play into it and celebrate them,” Harrison said.
She said the Charge approaches a lot of fan engagement by playing off what fans are already doing. With about 500 posters made at each game on top of posters fans bring on their own, she said there’s a lot for in-game camera operators to point to in between frequent dance cams that highlight fans jumping out of their seats, and planned scripting at games.
‘From day one, the PWHL has been intentional about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, whether you’re a lifelong hockey fan or experiencing the sport for the first time.’
— Paul Krotz, senior director of communications, PWHL
Harrison pointed to the Charge’s kazoo phenomenon as an example, which started as a fan project last year. The Charge have played into it by hosting kazoo giveaways and having players learn to play the kazoo.
Another priority, Harrison said, is making game experiences as inclusive as possible to attract fans who haven’t been previously exposed to hockey.
Paul Krotz, the PWHL’s senior director of communications, said this is part of a league-wide strategy that recognizes a meaningful portion of the league’s audience is discovering hockey through the PWHL.
“From day one, the PWHL has been intentional about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, whether you’re a lifelong hockey fan or experiencing the sport for the first time,” Krotz wrote in a statement.
One way this is done, according to Harrison, is through educational touch points throughout the game, such as rule explanations. For example, before every shootout, the in-game host explains the league’s shootout rules to the audience.
Harrison said the team also emphasizes player personalities on social media and through in-game features on the jumbotron.
“I feel like that’s how we’ve won over a lot of fans and got them interested in the sport,” she said. “They see how endearing and charismatic and awesome our players are, and they fall in love with them, and then come and want to watch them succeed.”
The team also runs adult clinics to introduce women who are newer to hockey with instruction from Charge players and coaches. Demand for these clinics was so high the first time around that the Charge brought them back, with Harrison saying the team will continue to host more.
Additionally, Krotz said the league prioritizes local community engagement by working with youth hockey organizations.
Harrison said in Ottawa, this is done through in-game experiences with young female groups, such as girls minor hockey teams, ringette teams and Girl Guides.
Through these experiences, she said girls get high fives from Charge players before every period, they sit on the benches during warmups, they play intersquad games during intermissions and they meet Charge players after games.
“(We want to) show them professional female athletes, something they can aspire to and really empower them in whatever facet of life they want to achieve and get to,” Harrison said.
The Charge also looks to introduce more girls to hockey, Harrison said, through its Ready, Set, Skate program, which partners with Bauer and local minor hockey associations. The program provides equipment and on-ice sessions for girls who have never played hockey before.
“As much as it’s important to get people into the arena, it’s how are we keeping them engaged, and how are we growing women’s hockey,” Harrison said.
Jamie Janes, director of hockey growth and female coach engagement with the East Ottawa Stars Girls Hockey Association, said the Ready, Set, Skate program, as well as Charge players showing up to support minor girls hockey teams, has been powerful.
“It’s very cool for the girls, and they are giddy with excitement every time they hit the ice,” Janes said. “The amount of community involvement that the Ottawa Charge has had with us and other female hockey associations in the area is just unparalleled from anything I’ve seen before.”
Janes said the association has seen a “significant” increase in enrollment since the birth of the PWHL, which she attributes as “a direct correlation.” In particular, she’s noticed an increase in first-time registration in the older levels of U11 and U13. In Ontario, registration has hit an all-time high since the PWHL arrived, with 41,019 registered in the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association, which includes girls and women’s hockey in the 2024-25 season.
Janes, who played on two short-lived professional women’s hockey teams in Ottawa in the NWHL and the CWHL, said her and her former teammates have “prayed” and “manifested” for a league that’s supported in the way the PWHL has been.
“We’re living vicariously through the PWHL,” she said. “It feels more connected, it feels more purposeful.”
‘The amount of community involvement that the Ottawa Charge has had with us and other female hockey associations in the area is just unparalleled from anything I’ve seen before.’
— Jamie Janes, director of hockey growth, East Ottawa Stars Girls Hockey Association
Janes said through their community outreach, the PWHL has given young players an end goal for their hockey training – one that can go beyond Olympics and turn into a lasting career.
Janes said she sees this in her nine-year-old daughter, Madison, whose approach to hockey has shifted since she got to drop a puck at the inaugural PWHL Ottawa home game.
“Her drive and passion for hockey has been magnified,” Janes said. “She’s really hoping that one day the Charge will hoist the Walter Cup, and even further down the line, she’s hoping that one day she will get to hoist the Walter Cup.”
There are also unity nights, including Black History celebration night, Indigenous Peoples celebration night, and pride night, where members of various groups are showcased during opening ceremonies. On these nights, Harrison said the players are also educated on these communities by bringing in special guest speakers or by sending them to community events.
“It’s really from the inside out,” Harrison said. “We’re trying to learn and grow and connect with these people, regardless of what racial, socioeconomic, or sexual background they are.”
Krotz echoed this by saying that through unity games and community partnerships, the league aims to reflect and celebrate the diversity of the communities they play in.
“Inclusivity is a core part of how we show up, not a separate initiative,” Krotz said. “That includes creating space for different identities, backgrounds, and experiences to feel seen and valued at our games.”
At this year’s Black History celebration night, the Charge partnered with the African Hockey Association, which currently supports about 100 young Black hockey players in Ottawa.
CBC journalist Emma Weller, the association’s head coach and general manager, said the Charge donated 100 tickets to the association, and that about 60 players or parents attended the game. She said without these tickets, many of their players wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend due to financial constraints.
“For most of the people who went to the game, it was probably their first time ever watching a hockey game,” Weller said. “A lot of our kids are newcomers, or they’re very new to the sport.”
While the African Hockey Association has also partnered with the Sens and the OHL’s 67’s, she said this experience was especially valuable for the young girls, who make up about half of the association’s players. With hockey being a predominantly white sport that has historically had barriers for girls, she said this was an important opportunity for representation.
“When you see it, you can be it,” she said. “For my young kids, representation is a huge thing. They want to see people who look like them on the ice, doing the thing that they want to do.”
With a smile, Weller recalled how the young players reacted to meeting the players after the game and getting autographs.
“A lot of them were just starstruck,” she said. “Some were just shell shocked, kind of silent, kind of like, ‘thank you,’ it was very sweet.”
Two African Hockey Association members also got to drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff before the game. Aden Gebremeskel’s eleven-year-old daughter, Dalia was one of these players. Gebremeskel said Dalia was starstruck to shake hands with players during this experience, particularly because many players had just returned from winning Olympic medals.
“I think she reinvigorated her love for the game and for the Charge, too,” Gebremeskel said.
Gebremeskel said she and Dalia have attended several Charge games, and that Dalia also attended a Charge summer camp last year. She said the Charge create “an inclusive environment” and that the players have been “invaluable” role models for her daughter to look up to.
Gebremeskel added that she feels the Charge have been able to attract more racialized fans, in part because of cheaper prices than men’s pro sports options in Ottawa. She said these make Charge games more inclusive for newcomers to Canada, who may have financial constraints or who may be less willing to pay for a sport that may not be culturally familiar to them.
She added that she also feels it’s because of TD Place’s accessible location near the city’s downtown core. For her and her family, the Charge are within walking distance from their Centretown home.
With active talks between the Charge and Sens about a lease for the Charge to play at CTC, and all of this year’s playoff games to be played at CTC, Gebremeskel said she’s worried. As much as Gebremeskel said she will make sure to still support the team, she said it would likely be less frequent.
Hurley shares this concern.
“The thing about the Charge is the community that was created within TD Place, and there’s specific things about that (geographical) area that let it happen.”
With few gathering places within walking distance of CTC, Hurley said they worry people will turn to other sports options in the city.
“For me, the draw for the Charge is the community aspect,” Hurley continued. “(If the team moves to CTC), I don’t think it keeps the community that was built up around it.”
One study published this year in the International Review for the Sociology of Sport shows this community engagement and support for social justice, particularly through the leagues’ social media posts, is exactly what’s brought the PWHL its success so far.
“The PWHL … was marketed as a ‘first of its kind’ women’s professional league, focusing on sustainability and built on core values of inclusivity, community, and longevity,” states the study, co-authored by University of Ottawa researchers.
The study found that after several failed women’s hockey leagues, the PWHL stands out because of its prioritizing of social values, community building and longevity over traditional sports marketing strategies.
‘The electric atmosphere and energy at games further reinforce this communal bond, demonstrating that the PWHL is cultivating a powerful environment where fans feel a strong sense of belonging and purpose.’
— Amy J. Schmit et al, 2026 academic study on PWHL fan engagement
“This collective commitment to shared values, such as inclusivity and empowerment, contributed to a sense of community both inside and outside the arenas,” the study found.
It also found that through this community, in-game atmosphere continued to grow the fanbase.
“The electric atmosphere and energy at games further reinforce this communal bond, demonstrating that the PWHL is cultivating a powerful environment where fans feel a strong sense of belonging and purpose.”
No matter what the Charge’s future may hold, Hurley said the impact the team has had so far has been valuable across generations. For those in Hurley’s generation, she’s thankful to see what she never had growing up.
“We can see the progress based on from what I had access to as a kid, which was nothing,” Hurley said. “There was female hockey players, but … we didn’t know their stories. They didn’t talk about it.”
“It has honestly been kind of a healing experience for all the things that we did go through.”
Looking ahead for future generations, Hurley said the Charge have already helped to grow women’s hockey in Ottawa.
“You can already see the impacts and I think it’s huge,” Hurley said. “I think it’s great to have these types of leaders within the community for kids to look up to and see themselves in.”
