'Absolutely incredible': PWHL Ottawa fans make inaugural season a success despite missing playoffs, team says
PWHL Ottawa held its season ending media availability on Tuesday, with players and management taking the opportunity to thank fans in the capital.
"I want to obviously thank the fans here in Ottawa," said Mike Hirshfeld, the team's general manager. "They've been absolutely incredible."
The PWHL's inaugural season ended in disappointment for Ottawa after narrowly missing the playoffs by 3 points. Despite the lack of success on the ice, games at TD Place were a hot commodity.
In 12 home games, PWHL Ottawa averaged 7,496 fans. The most attended game was on April 27, when 8,452 fans watched Ottawa take on Montreal.
The first game of the season on Jan. 2 set a North American attendance record for a women's hockey game, and though it has since been broken, players said they would never forget that night.
"I remember going out for warmups that first game and just having tears in my eyes," said forward Gabbie Hughes. "Trying to contain that excitement and the emotions of where women's hockey is at and having this league be so big and so many supporters. It was everything I could ever dream of."
The team is already looking forward to next season, and thinks the support from the fan base will help recruit players.
"I think that's part of the reason Ottawa is such an attractive place for players to want to come," continued Hirshfeld. "They want to be part of that. They want to be cheered on every night and have 8,000 people in the stands."
The franchise will now look forward to the draft, which is set to be held next month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
BREAKING Jury deliberations begin in Donald Trump's hush money criminal case
Jury deliberations began Wednesday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, putting the outcome of the historic case in the hands of a dozen New Yorkers who have vowed to be fair and impartial in the face of their unprecedented task.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Canada announces $11B for military aircraft training
Canada has announced an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military, including the purchase of 70 training aircraft for the Future Aircrew Training program.
CNN exclusive: A federal grand jury may soon hear from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers
Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN — signaling the U.S. Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.