On Saturday, the Ottawa Charge scored an important victory against the New York Sirens. While it certainly helped their playoff hopes, it was the fans in attendance who were the real winners during Ottawa’s Pride Celebration Unity game.
With the help of back-to-back jailbreak goals in the second period, Ottawa came away with a 5-1 victory over the Sirens, adding a bit more of a buffer between two clubs eyeing the fourth and final playoff spot. The win certainly helped the Charge in the standings, but the real winners that afternoon were the fans who packed TD Place, setting a venue attendance record in the process, and showcasing just how charged up the city is for women’s hockey and this team.
The game marked Ottawa’s Pride Celebration Unity game, which, interestingly, were all ways one could describe the atmosphere of TD Place on Saturday afternoon. On any given game day, there is an indescribable vibe as one walks the concourse. Old friends meeting up ahead of puck drop, new friendships being forged over a mutual disdain for the opponent, and comparisons among fans about who wore more Charge-themed attire. But on this particular day, the dial was turned up to eleven, and so too was the passion. Fans in attendance put on full display their pride for the team, wearing Charge jerseys and lightning-bolt headbands while blowing their trademark kazoos, and for each other, unafraid to be unapologetically authentic, draped in Pride flags and colours. It truly felt like a celebration of love, most certainly for their favourite team, but equally for one another, and that’s what makes Ottawa Charge games so special: it’s a space that truly unites in a way few other experiences can.
The afternoon itself featured many unique ways to celebrate Pride, the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and the various organizations around the city, with activations and programs throughout the concourse and during intermissions and stoppages in play. The national anthems were performed by Jaime Sadgrove, a member of Tone Cluster, Ottawa’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ chorus, while Pride flags waved proudly throughout the crowd. Signs, which are always creatively put together, incorporated Pride colours, while some fans wore T-shirts with “Everyone Belongs” emblazoned across the chest. Players, too, displayed their support, wrapping the blades of their sticks in Pride-coloured tape.
Ottawa Charge games have been can’t-miss events since the league’s inception, and the list of reasons why is extensive. But days like Saturday, and games like Pride Celebration Unity are a reminder of the remarkable impact this team has made on the Ottawa-Gatineau community, and how powerful it can be when one has the opportunity to be authentically themselves.