OTTAWA 鈥� When Brianne Jenner locks eyes with her two-year-old daughter June during her warm-up skate for Tuesday's Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League鈥檚 game between Ottawa and Montreal, she expects to feel emotional.
Ottawa's captain will think not only about the significance of the first PWHL game for both teams, but also of the possibilities that now lie ahead for her young daughter.
Growing up, the 32-year-old Jenner never had the opportunity to dream of playing in a women鈥檚 professional league. Knowing that possibility is there for June is significant to her mother.
"When you pan out as a hockey player in this generation, I think you realize how much of an impact this could have and how many people came before us to allow this to happen," said Jenner.
鈥淕rowing up, it was wanting to go to the Olympics, wanting to play in the NHL until I realized that wasn鈥檛 likely, so it鈥檚 just hard to put into words what this new dream is going to mean for so many girls.鈥�
There is buzz ahead of Tuesday's game that sold out weeks ago. A North American attendance record for pro women's hockey is expected to be set in TD Place Arena that can hold up to 8,500 people.
From the moment Ottawa earned one of the six franchises of the new pro league, which also includes Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York and Minnesota, fan support has been high even though the PWHL has yet to announce team names.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been pretty amazing,鈥� Ottawa assistant captain Emily Clark said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 exactly sure what to expect. I knew we would get community support and I knew we would get to the point of sellouts, but I never dreamt that it would be for opening night, so it鈥檚 just so exciting.鈥�
Clark joked that while many people had Advent calendars counting down to Christmas, she thought only about Jan. 2 and Ottawa's first game.
鈥淚 think it will be important to just take it in and not put too much pressure on it,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚 think we just need to take it step-by-step whether it鈥檚 your pre-game meal or the warm-up. We just need to take a moment to look around and just enjoy it.鈥�
Like its five sister franchises, Ottawa's players have worked hard to come together quickly as a group and find that connection that will result to on-ice success.
Finding the right chemistry is just one of the challenges for coach Carla MacLeod.
A former Canadian defender, who has also coached Czechia to back-to-back bronze medals at the women's world championship, has embraced this latest challenge.
She鈥檚 liked what she鈥檚 seen from her team so far in practice, but understands things will evolve as the team plays together.
"At some point you鈥檝e got to trust that they can go out and do their thing and navigate the situation,鈥� said MacLeod. 鈥淭here will be a little give and take and this first game is just a starting point and not a championship game. It鈥檚 just the game that gets us going that we鈥檙e certainly going to learn and continue to get better from.鈥�
Many Ottawa players are familiar with one another having played against each other, but developing chemistry can take time.
'I think we have a lot of really good people and we鈥檙e just drawing the best out of each other,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淔rom the top down of (general manager) Mike Hirschfeld and Carla, they鈥檝e cultivated an environment where culture is very important. The things we鈥檙e doing off the ice are going to translate on ice because we want to play hard for each other.鈥�
Tuesday's game will be historic for both Montreal and Ottawa, but not lost in the hype is the fact both teams are playing for their first win and three points.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to play a pretty aggressive style of hockey,鈥� Jenner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to sit back and I think fans will enjoy the fast pace for sure.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2024.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
