PWHL Toronto and Montreal welcomed 19,285 fans to their inaugural — and record-breaking — game inside Scotiabank Arena.
PWHL Toronto and Montreal welcomed 19,285 fans to their inaugural — and record-breaking — game inside Scotiabank Arena.
It was a night to remember on Friday as PWHL Toronto and Montreal broke the all-time attendance record at a women's hockey game in Toronto.
There were 19,285 fans that went through the turnstiles for the 'Battle on Bay Street' game at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto ended up winning the game 3-0, but it was a massive triumph for women's hockey as a whole.
With a record-setting performance on a national stage, our fans made the Battle on Bay Street an unforgettable, inspirational moment — and we couldn’t be more appreciative," said PWHL Senior Vice-President Jayna Hefford in a press release on Friday.
"The support of our fans has been incredibly empowering, and we feel privileged to get the opportunity to represent them and this world class city," PHWL Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury added.
The crowd exceeded the last attendance record of 18,013, which was in April 2013 when Canada took on Finland at the 2013 Women's World Championships in Ottawa.
Morgan Rielly and his wife, Tessa Virtue, along with Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, were in attendance for the game on Saturday night. According to the Toronto Star's Mark Colley, "a group of Maple Leafs players bought a box" for the record-breaking game.
Mitch Marner, who's been a long-time women's hockey supporter, wasn't able to make it to the game on Friday, but says it was a spectacular moment.
"It was amazing. I unfortunately wasn't able to attend it, but watching it on TV and just the crowd, the atmosphere, the game, everything about it was amazing," Marner said on Saturday morning, just a mere 12 hours after the record was broken.
"I was lucky enough to be able to talk to a lot of those women during the All-Star weekend. I know a lot of them personally from working out summer time wise. It was amazing to see them get that credit, and obviously, they deserve it."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDEgWDZb6Fc[/embed]
Max Domi added that it's always special when you see hockey growing.
"Any chance you see the game of hockey grow in any way, it's very exciting. I'm super happy for them," Domi continued.
This was the fourth time the PWHL has broken the attendance record in their first season. It was first broken when Ottawa and Montreal faced off in the nation's capital on Jan. 2 (8,318). A few days later, that record was shattered by Minnesota, who hosted Montreal and had 13,316 fans in attendance.
Montreal then set the record for the largest attendance at a professional women's hockey game in Canada, welcoming 8,646 fans to Place Bell for their game against Ottawa.
It's early in the PWHL's history and there are countless nights to remember. Maybe none more than the 'Battle on Bay Street' on Friday night inside Scotiabank Arena.
"They're hell of an athletes themselves," Marner added, "and it was cool to see this whole city of Toronto really embrace that and it was cool to see that crowd."
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