What happens when you combine DJ Electric Kitten, house music, and frenetic effort? Hockey entertainment gold.
The PWHL made its live debut in Winnipeg on Sunday, where a full house at Canada Life Centre watched the Ottawa Charge defeat the Montreal Victoire 2–1 in overtime. Not one, but two crowd waves ushered in a rising tide of excitement for PWHL hockey.
Earlier in the day, the Winnipeg Jets defeated the New York Rangers, also in overtime, when Gabriel Vilardi won it in a shootout. Overall, it was an excellent day to be a hockey fan in Winnipeg.
My contention is twofold: (i) the PWHL is a viable and necessary product for Winnipeg, and (ii) Mark Chipman and David Thomson, majority owners of the Winnipeg Jets, should make a bid for a PWHL team.
Is the PWHL a viable and necessary product?
Having watched and rooted for the PWHL from a distance, I fear I may have missed the importance of the live game experience. Having now done so, I realized the following:
Physicality
TV viewing does not do this game’s physicality justice. Regular-season NHL games feature continuous action, but the hitting has become a tad robotic. The Charge and Victoire brought a Rock ’em Sock ’em Hockey oeuvre, with several players issuing “Kronwalled” level bodychecks. I counted five or six audible gasps from the crowd following hits you don’t see regularly in the NHL. There is a Thunderdome energy to these games that is unmistakable.
Effort
An NHL pet peeve of mine is that players typically glide into and out of a shift change. There is a balletic, almost choreographed way NHL players change shifts, so it was refreshing to see the anarchy the PWHL game exhibited. This is a microcosm of the PWHL, where, as far as I can tell: no coasting, no shifts off, and nothing taken for granted. If you've ever watched Pierre Luc-Dubois play hockey, you understand what happens when apathy sets in. It was refreshing to see professional athletes play hockey with a collegiate vigour.
Speed
Not so much player speed, though that was evident, but rather game speed. The pace of play was on fast-forward, aided by the fact that the referees seemed to pocket their whistles for most of the affair. I am not certain whether that was atypical, but I certainly hope it wasn’t, as it lends itself to entertaining hockey. Speed on the backcheck was another huge component. Open space dwindled quickly, as nary a player seemed to take their defensive responsibilities frivolously.
In short, the PWHL game is really good and seems to have been embraced by players and fans alike.
True North Sports + Entertainment (TNSE) should make a bid
What is the saturation point for hockey in Winnipeg? With the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose, it would appear that TNSE has a full dance card. I disagree.
As a “Girl Dad,” I have seen the proliferation of girls’ hockey. The number of girls registered for Manitoba hockey teams between the ages of seven and eighteen grew from 4,901 players in 2023–24 to 5,517 players this season — an increase of nearly 13 percent. Over the past 10 years, girls' hockey has exploded, creating a pipeline of talented athletes once reserved for men.
There has never been a true avenue for women in hockey, which is why half of Canadian girls drop out of organized sports by the time they are 17. That is about to change, and TNSE could be part of that change. It’s as simple as looking at the burgeoning success of the WNBA to see where the PWHL could go. Sentimentally, I want my daughter to have role models who play professionally in a sport she loves. Gender politics aside, it is objectively invaluable to have women fill this role.
Professional hockey is still a business, so it is important to understand how the PWHL is doing financially. As of March 2026, the PWHL is averaging approximately 8,925 fans per game, setting a new record and marking a 23 percent increase over the previous season.
The league is only in its third year, but expansion teams have already been added in Vancouver and Seattle, and there is a rumour that there is enough interest from major markets to add further teams by 2026–27. I’m looking at you, TNSE.
Watching thousands of girls in their team jerseys cheer on women who have sacrificed and blazed a trail for women’s hockey was indelible. Back in 2011, TNSE did something we Winnipeggers never thought possible: they brought back the Winnipeg Jets. Now, there is an opportunity to fill a similar void. To paraphrase Field of Dreams TNSE: If you build it, they will come.