Vancouvers most exciting hockey team

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It was an exciting year for women’s hockey in Vancouver. The Golden Eyes inaugural season led by Sophie Jaques and Sarah Nurse might not have been the most successful on the ice, with the team going 9-1-4-14, but don’t let this blind you, it’s only typical expansion woes. Women’s hockey has been thriving not just in Vancouver, but around the league.  

For years now, women’s hockey has lived in the shadows. Popular during the Olympics, then largely forgotten. This is no longer the case. The rise of the Professional Women’s Hockey League is gradually becoming one of the biggest sports stories in the nation. And Vancouver, just one year into having their own team, is right in the center of it.  

In just its third season, the PWHL has shattered expectations. With over 1.1 million fans attending games this year and the average attendance jumped to over 9,000 per game. That’s a 71% increase from its first season. This isn’t slow, steady growth; it’s a surge.  

 The league is drawing crowds comparable to established pro leagues, while also expanding its reach globally through streaming and touring games across North America. With the PWHL takeover games being a great way for the league to scout possible expansion locations for the future. Which is how Vancouver got a team, after 19,000 fans filled the arena during a neutral site game. Proving the demand was already there 

The Vancouver Golden Eyes led the league in attendance, averaging over 12,000 fans per game, and selling out their home opener. Making it instantly one of the strongest markets in the league.  

So, why is the PWHL thriving when other women’s hockey leagues have fizzled out rather quickly?  

Well, the PWHL has their own brand of hockey. With different point systems and on ice rules, with my favorite being if a team scores shorthanded then their penalty ends. It’s the jailbreak rule. The league has built a reputation for being more connected with the fans. This has allowed them to tap into pulling in a whole new generation of hockey fans. It also comes down to better marketing than past women’s leagues. Some might even argue they market their games and stars better than some NHL teams.  

This is no longer just a feel-good story, the hockey and the league are legit.  

At a time when Vancouver risks losing teams like the Whitecaps, it’s nice that the PWHL can offer the opposite story. 

The Vancouver Goldeneyes are proof that Vancouver can support high-level women’s sports at scale.