For a league built on atmosphere, the Walter Cup keeps getting won in silence. The Minnesota Frost won the Walter Cup on the road in both 2024 and 2025. In 2026, the Montréal Victoire came ready to do the same in Ottawa, becoming the first Canadian team to lift the Walter Cup – not in front of their own fans, but by silencing nearly 13,000 opposing ones.

Ottawa had scored what looked like a season-saving goal late in Game 3 against the Montréal Victoire, sending nearly 17,000 fans into chaos before the play was sent to review. White towels stopped spinning. Fans froze mid-celebration. Some stared at the jumbotron while others refused to look at all.

For one night at the Canadian Tire Centre, this didn’t feel like an occasion for women’s hockey in Ottawa. It just felt normal.