Fans Will Be "The Real Winners" Of PWHL Takeover

This weekend will mark the PWHL’s “Takeover Weekend,” an opportunity for teams to play in neutral sites, and will feature two games, one between Ottawa and Boston at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, and the other between Montreal and Toronto at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

These games, being played in NHL-sized arenas, gives the league, its teams and players a unique opportunity to continue the growth of the game, especially in markets which do not currently host a team. These arenas have capacities of 19,515 and 19,758 respectively and both present the opportunity to break the current record of 19,285 held by Montreal and Toronto in the first “Battle on Bay Street” in Toronto last month, and the American record held by Minnesota of 13,316. 

It isn’t lost on Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod who the true winners are in games like these. 

“The competitiveness and parity is what makes this league so exciting," said MacLeod. "The true winners are the fans. They're going to see a really great game in front of the fans in Detroit."

But from Ottawa’s perspective, they’re treating this game as just another game, a game in which they can continue building upon after their strong 4-2 win over Montreal on Sunday. Montreal pushed back, striking twice to cut Ottawa’s lead and controlled the play for stretches, especially on the powerplay, but Ottawa did something they’ve struggled to do for much of the season: hold the lead. 

"Everything is so new in this league and the teams are all so good. There's a lot of great work being done here in order to finish games strong,” MacLeod said, as she continues to work on the fine details of the game in practice. Defeating Boston, which currently sits fourth place in the league, would go a long way to helping secure the team’s playoff berth, as it would vault them into sole possession of fourth in the league and only four points behind Minnesota for third with eight games remaining.

As the league continues to look at its future, it’s the innovative ideas such as “Takeover Weekend" which continue to add to the excitement and momentum from around the league, and based upon the continued sellouts, consistent desire for merchandise and excitement in all markets, including the neutral site locations, it’s safe to say that fans are, as coach MacLeod put it, “the real winners.”