The Scotiabank Arena, which had been empty hours before, except for employees and reporters, was starting to fill up with spectators as hockey lovers of all ages and genders prepared to watch a game. The seats were covered in white towels.
They weren’t, however, there to see the Maple Leafs or the Toronto Raptors. Rather, they came to see the “Battle on Bay Street” between PWHL Montreal and PWHL Toronto.
During the first season of the PWHL, on a Friday evening in the middle of February, Toronto players left the comforts of their home rink and traveled three kilometers south to play their fiercest rivals from Montreal in Toronto’s sporting paradise, Scotiabank Arena.
19,285 spectators saw the teams play, which is a record number for a professional women’s hockey game.
“Obviously, that number is in the middle of the game when you see it up there, but for a brief moment, I looked at it, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s really special,’ and it’s really cool to be a part of history,” Jesse Compher remarked after the game.
In the momentous encounter, Compher and Victoria Bach scored their first goals of the season, and Hannah Miller added a goal on her birthday as Toronto prevailed 3-0.
“It’s pretty special, because this is the coolest birthday ever,” Miller remarked. “And I’m glad we prevailed.”
Even if the specifics of the game matter, the outcome of this match was always going to be secondary. The greatest attraction was undoubtedly the sold-out crowd—it just took two hours for the tickets to sell out.
“Having so many people here is really special, and Toronto has really supported us,” Kristen Campbell remarked. “It simply demonstrates the popularity of women’s hockey as a sport, and participating in this event is something we will always treasure for the rest of our lives.”
But selling out Scotiabank Arena and then returning to the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) one week later, which has just a sliver of the capacity, raises the thought: If Toronto shows up for women’s sports, why hasn’t the city truly been rewarded for it?
Of course, getting a PWHL team in the city is a reward in and of itself. Still, a sold-out Scotiabank Arena crowd, in addition to another sold-out crowd at the WNBA’s Canada Game nine months prior, is proof the city can not only handle, but support whatever women’s sports team may come its way.
The WNBA Canada Game played in May also was record-breaking. It was the most-watched WNBA pre-season game and had the highest pre-season attendance, as tickets sold out within 18 minutes. Additionally, it became the second most-watched WNBA game in Canada.
However, Toronto was left off of the list of the WNBA’s newest expansion teams when it was announced.
MLSE was reportedly considering buying a team despite the expensive $50 million price tag. Rogers, meanwhile, is said to have nixed any plans for an expansion to Toronto. Even with the resolute backing of Toronto supporters, they were not rewarded.
Toronto plays at the smallest arena in the PWHL. The location was formerly known as Maple Leaf Gardens, where the Leafs called home from 1932 until 1999. At the height of the arena, the Gardens could hold over 16,000 spectators. The current capacity of the facility is 3,850.
Playing in the smallest PWHL facility is a further blow to the Toronto supporters, even if it probably has to do with finances and scheduling conflicts. After all, the team has shown that it can sell out Scotiabank facility, at least for one night.
“Our crowd is sold out for every game we play at home. You could tell by looking at the audience today that we already have a line for season tickets for next year. Hearing from the fans and giving them something to watch and cheer for is just incredibly thrilling,” Compher remarked.
“We hope to continue growing the game because we’ve been working for this for a long time, and it’s really special to see people support us and give us what we deserve.”
Before the puck dropped at Scotiabank Arena, the fans cheered for the players from Toronto and Montreal. The noise level increased when Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, and Natalie Spooner were introduced. As Kia Nurse of Canada Basketball took the ice for the ceremonial puck drop between Poulin and Sarah Nurse, the applause kept going.
It’s always very special, according to Poulin. It’s clear that Sarah Nurse has completely transformed the game, so it’s really special to have that first confrontation with her and her cousin Kia. That’s when you both look at each other and say, “Wow, we did it.”
In addition to Team Canada stuff, Maple Leafs items, and little ladies wearing their rep hockey team jerseys, PWHL Toronto and Montreal jerseys were strewn all over the stands.
In addition to the jerseys, handcrafted signs were all over the place. “Ice time earned” and “Play like a girl” were two popular ones.
The audience was already energized when Toronto scored the game’s first goal. The squad scored two more goals, and the noise level increased even more.
Toronto head coach Troy Ryan noted, “Some of the coaches were joking around that they kept getting notifications on their watch saying that the environment was too loud.”
2.9 million Canadians watched the PWHL’s debut game, which saw New York defeat Toronto 4-0 at the MAC, via any of the league’s three broadcast partners. The game had 879,000 viewers on average.
An average of 1.43 million viewers watched the NHL inaugural game in 2023 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks on the American network ESPN. Compared to the 2022–23 season opener, which drew an average of 744,000 viewers—less than the PWHL’s first-ever season opener—that was an increase.
The league has had a significant impact: women can begin to envision a world in which female athletes receive the same attention and acclaim as men, and young girls can finally see themselves represented on the biggest platform.
Women’s hockey is a serious sport, as demonstrated by the Battle on Bay Street game. Like the WNBA Canada Game and any other upcoming women’s sporting event Toronto hosts, it has the potential to sell out arena seats.
