{"id":555631,"date":"2026-03-23T16:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555631\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T16:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:31:16","slug":"winnipeg-would-embrace-a-pwhl-team-players-and-fans-say-winnipeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555631\/","title":{"rendered":"Winnipeg would embrace a PWHL team, players and fans say – Winnipeg"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League came to\u00a0Manitoba\u00a0for a hockey<\/a> game, but what fans witnessed was a 48-hour audition for a ninth franchise.<\/p>\n

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From packed morning practices at the Hockey For All Centre to a sold-out crowd of 15,321 at Canada Life Centre on Sunday night to watch the Ottawa Charge play the Montreal Victoire, the PWHL Takeover Tour proved that Winnipeg has an undeniable appetite for professional women\u2019s hockey.<\/p>\n

Now for the ultimate question: Could the city support a PWHL<\/a> team?<\/p>\n

For the local players, both of whom had a strong showing of support in the stands, the answer is easy. Ottawa defender and Ste. Anne native Jocelyne Larocque \u2014 who had an estimated 280 extended family members and friends in attendance \u2014 believes the market is a perfect fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeographically, it makes a lot of sense,\u201d said Larocque, shortly after the Charge\u2019s 2-1 overtime victory. \u201cWe\u2019re right central in Canada, but I think this city just loves hockey and the fact that the city doesn\u2019t have a pro women\u2019s sports team at all, hockey would be a great first one and the city would really rally behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Larocque noted how surreal it was to finally play professionally in her home province.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGrowing up, I wasn\u2019t sure if this day would come,\u201d she said. \u201cI looked up to NHL players and I looked up to Team Canada, but a pro women\u2019s hockey league, and to be able to be a part of it, it\u2019s pretty special. All Manitobans, it\u2019s great people can watch us on TV, but to see us live is definitely something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoire defender and Winnipeg native Kati Tabin also believes Winnipeg would be an ideal PWHL destination. Tabin, who had around 80 friends and family take in the event, hadn\u2019t played a competitive game in front of her local support system since her high school days nearly 11 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the growth of our league is awesome,\u201d Tabin said. \u201cI just remember being a little girl in Oakbank,\u00a0Manitoba, and I didn\u2019t even think this dream was possible to play in the (Winnipeg) Jets\u2019 rink. It would mean the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinnipeg is a great community. I think it would be a great spot. There\u2019s so much hockey love here in the city, so it would be a great option.\u201d<\/p>\n

That hockey love was evident throughout the weekend. The PWHL embedded itself in the community, hosting a hockey operations career panel at the University of\u00a0Manitoba, a business panel featuring PWHL executives and youth clinics at Camp Manitou.<\/p>\n

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Ottawa forward Rebecca Leslie noticed the impact immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust walking through the practice rink the other day, there were lineups of people on a Saturday morning and afternoon just to watch us practice,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cTo see all the little girls in the stands and for them to have an opportunity to watch us live, it\u2019s just so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montreal forward Abby Roque pointed to what she witnessed in the moments before puck drop as a prime example of why the league is expanding its footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest things was in warm-ups, looking around at how many young girls were right on the glass with so many signs,\u201d Roque said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans really showed up today, having 15,000, but I just think having a community that really wants a team, being able to show the young girls that this is the hockey you can play one day if you really put your mind to it. That\u2019s a really special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod, the energy in the building was a blast from the past. MacLeod won a world championship gold medal with Team Canada on the exact same ice in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hockey town,\u201d MacLeod said. \u201cWe walk out to that arena and it\u2019s full, and that\u2019s a great arena, super steep, with fans on top of you. There\u2019s a rich history of hockey here and not just men\u2019s hockey but women\u2019s hockey.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe never take for granted when we walk into a building like this and it\u2019s full. This market is a hockey market and we got to see that again today.\u201d<\/p>\n

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