The skies were dark and the cold air was sharp on January 8, 2025 — but within the walls of Rogers Arena, something bright was burning. No amount of chill could suppress the “bring the puck west” signs, the Marie-Philip Poulin jerseys, or passion for women’s hockey emanating from the stands. January 8, 2025, was a day that virtually changed the trajectory of women’s hockey in Vancouver.  

On January 8, 2025, the PWHL Takeover Tour made its first stop in Canada, bringing women’s hockey to Vancouver for the first time since the Rivalry Series back in 2020. Only four months later, Vancouver was announced as the first PWHL expansion franchise. While BC logistically made sense as an expansion team, given the fact that there was a lack of west coast representation in the PWHL, another big part in this effort was that of the fans — all 19,038 and more who flooded Rogers Arena on that chilly Wednesday night. 

The Takeover Tour was undeniably memorable for the fans. For those who played in the game itself, this was an experience that only bolstered the desire to call the Pacific Coliseum home. Canadian hockey icon Sarah Nurse played with her hometown Toronto Sceptres for the PWHL’s first two seasons. On June 5, 2025, news broke that she would be signing with Vancouver during the Exclusive Signing Window.     

“My intro to Vancouver was this year in January, having played in the Takeover Tour game,” she told Vancouver media at the start of August. “Obviously the crowd was amazing — 19,000 fans — but it really struck me, having people on the street stopping us and saying, ‘we’re going to the game. We can’t wait for you guys to be here. We love women’s hockey.’”

Nurse is one of four Sceptres players who played in the Vancouver Takeover Tour game and ended up on PWHL Vancouver’s inaugural roster. PWHL rookie and Minnesota-born forward Izzy Daniel was adamant about the energy in the building, claiming that Rogers Arena may have been “one of the loudest buildings” she’d played in — especially for a neutral-site game. 

“They were so loud. And I think now that we’re their team, I feel like they’ll be taking it up a notch, now that they have a team to get behind.” 

Joining Nurse and Daniel on PWHL Vancouver is Kristen Campbell, who was in net for that fateful January 8 game at Rogers Arena. Despite her main focus being on the game, some of the things that stuck out to Campbell were all of the signs being waved even during warmups. 

“It definitely was a neutral site game, but it honestly felt like a home game,” she professed. “It had the vibe that just everyone was so excited to cheer for women’s hockey and see it live. I remember also taking the ice and just being taken back by how incredible the atmosphere was, even in warm ups. I think it’s going to be amazing to play in front of a crowd like that in Vancouver.” 

Campbell’s goaltending partner with Vancouver, Emerance Maschmeyer, didn’t play in the Vancouver stop of the Takeover Tour, as she was with the Ottawa Charge at the time. However, despite not directly being a part of the atmosphere in Vancouver, she was quick to point out the impact that this game had on the rest of the Takeover Tour itself. 

“The turnout was incredible. I heard so many great things about the energy at the rink, saying they wanted a team, chanting they wanted a team — I think that was just so special. I think it was one of the first Takeover games, so it really set the tone for the others and got us excited to participate in the other Takeover games going forward,” she explained. 

Players without any personal connections to Vancouver could feel the significance of this game to the city. For those who have ties to BC, the feeling was something completely different. Former Montréal Victoire forward Jenn Gardiner was born and raised in Surrey, BC, approximately 30 minutes away from where the Takeover Tour occurred. As a girl who grew up playing hockey in Vancouver, getting the chance to play at Rogers Arena as part of the Takeover Tour, and now suiting up to represent her hometown as one of the team’s biggest names, this game meant more than everything. 

“Coming down to the big game, and you’re kind of walking down the tunnel, I felt like I looked up, left and right, and behind me, and I feel like I could list about close to half the people in the entire building. It was so incredible to just get to play in front of all the people that have helped me get to where I am today, and just to have so many special people in the building, like my entire family. I don’t think I knew one person that missed the game. It just meant a lot to me.” 

Gardiner isn’t the only player from Vancouver who got to participate in the Takeover Tour when it touched down in their hometown. Hannah Miller, now a member of PWHL Vancouver after spending two seasons with the Sceptres, discussed the “ton of emotions” she felt when skating onto the ice for the first time. 

“You can’t really put it into words. I think it was everything and more than I even expected,” she discussed, noting the feeling of seeing all the fans during warmups and throughout the game. “Looking over and seeing all my family, my cousins, and neighbours and people that have supported me since the start of my hockey career, all my neighbours who used to see me shooting or hear me shooting pucks in the driveway. Now, for everything to come full circle, it’s pretty special.” 

The Takeover Tour was momentous for a number of reasons. For the city of Vancouver, it was their first exposure to the PWHL. For the league, it was the birth of a new era on the west coast. For fans, it was the culmination of thousands of little girls’ dreams coming true.