Ottawa Showed Up. Now What?

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.

The Canadian Tire Centre Courtesy of Justin Tang / CP

The Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire brought 17,114 fans to the Friday night game in Ottawa, and it was obvious from the first puck drop. More space, more fans, and way more noise. It didn’t feel like a special event, it felt like a glimpse of what this league has become. Women's hockey wasn't knocking on Ottawa's door, it was already inside.

Montreal took a 3-0 win, setting the tone early and maintaining control throughout. But the result almost felt secondary to what was happening around it.

And notably, they did it without Marie-Philip Poulin. That matters. 

When you’re missing the most recognizable player in women’s hockey, the expectation is that something drops - attention, energy, maybe even interest. But that hasn’t happened here. The building is still full and the crowd is still engaged as ever. If anything, it’s a reminder that the draw isn’t just one player anymore - it’s the league, the teams, and the level of play.

Because while this is happening on the ice - tight, physical, structured hockey between two top teams - the environment around it feels just as important. You can see it in how the crowd reacts - not just to goals, but to clears, saves, and shifts in momentum. You can see it in who’s in the stands, not just longtime fans but younger ones, new ones, people who are clearly buying in. This isn’t passive interest. It’s investment.

“I think growing up here, I knew how special the women’s hockey community was, and then to see it tonight is just really special. We have the best fans in the league so it was a lot of fun to play in front of them,” said Rebecca Leslie, an Ottawa native and forward for the Charge.

And while the Ottawa Charge are playing in front of a crowd like this at Canadian Tire Centre, the question of where this team actually fits - not just tonight, but long-term - is still very much unsettled.

The most immediate answer is Lansdowne 2.0.

The redevelopment project will replace TD Place with a new arena expected to seat significantly fewer fans than the current building, and fewer than what the Charge are already drawing. The league has already pushed back on that plan, citing concerns about reduced capacity and what it means for growth. In fact, PWHL leadership has made it clear the team will not play in a downsized venue that limits access for fans.  

Concept image of the planned PWHL dressing room in the Lansdowne 2.0 project (City of Ottawa). Photo by BBB Architects and City of Ottaw /Handout

On paper, a smaller arena can make sense. Tighter environment. Consistent sellouts. Controlled atmosphere. But nights like this complicate that logic. Because this doesn’t feel like a market that needs to be scaled down to create demand. It feels like one that’s already ahead of it. 

Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod spoke to that contrast.

“The takeover games are fun for so many reasons, but sometimes it’s a split crowd - cheering more for hockey than a team - and other times you’re obviously the away team. It was so nice to come back here and see such an exceptional turnout. It speaks volumes to who our fanbase is and how they continue to show up for us.”

And that’s where things start to feel misaligned.

Ottawa has already shown what the demand looks like. The crowds regularly push past 7,000 and into the 8,000 range - numbers that would exceed the proposed capacity of the new building.  So while Lansdowne 2.0 is being built as a modern, flexible, mid-sized venue, something designed to host a wide range of events, it’s not being built for what this team is quickly becoming.

At the same time, there’s another layer to this.

Behind the scenes, there have been discussions between the PWHL and the Ottawa Senators’ ownership group about the possibility of the Charge continuing to play games at Canadian Tire Centre, at least in the short term.  

And nights like this make it easy to see why.

The league has already played here before in 2024, drawing over 11,000 fans for a previous Ottawa–Montreal matchup.   The building works. The crowd shows up. The experience feels aligned with the level of play on the ice.

But even that feels like a temporary solution, as the conversation inevitably shifts downtown in the long term.

To LeBreton Flats.

The proposed arena development there, led by the Senators, is envisioned as a full entertainment district - a central, transit-connected venue that could redefine where and how major sports events are experienced in Ottawa. However, that project is still years away from becoming reality, with construction timelines and approvals still ahead.

This leaves the Charge, and the league, in a kind of in-between moment. Too big for the old model and not quite aligned with the next one. That’s what makes nights like this feel important beyond the game itself. There were 17,114 people in the building showing exactly what this market looks like right now.

For years, the conversation around women’s hockey was about whether people would come. In Ottawa, that question has already been answered. Now it’s about where you put them when they do.

Edited by Mithzi Silva