A young girl held up a sign that read “proud to play like a girl,” her eyes fixed to the ice as players from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) skated out onto the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday night.
For fans in attendance, this wasn’t just a game — it was a long-awaited return of women’s hockey and the PWHL’s debut in Alberta’s largest city.
It was a night of celebration — of sport, competition, and girlhood. It wasn’t just for the players, but for every woman who has played hockey in Calgary.
The Scotiabank Saddledome was packed with fans eager to cheer on the Ottawa Charge and the Toronto Sceptres.
The last time Calgarians were able to cheer on women’s hockey at home was back in 2019 with the Calgary Inferno.
Since then, there has been little representation of women’s hockey in the city.
In 2023, the PWHL launched, and since then, the league has expanded to eight teams across Canada and the United States.
To share the game with fans across North America, the PWHL announced its 2025-26 Takeover Tour.
The tour brings two teams to a city that doesn’t currently host a franchise.
The Charge and the Sceptres took the ice in an important playoff race, but the significance of the night extended beyond the game.
For many attendees, it was their first time seeing professional women’s hockey live, something that hadn’t been possible since 2019.
Playing for the past and future
The night was more than a game. It was a tribute to the players who made this moment possible.
Toronto Sceptres captain Blarye Turnbull spent the start of her career playing for the Calgary Inferno, and she was able to celebrate this Calgary milestone with her old teammates before the game.
“I think there’s a generation of players there who really held on for us and allowed us to play in this league,” said Turnbull. “If it weren’t for them and that era of hockey, this league would not exist, and I don’t think they ever got credit for that.”
The game was a full-circle moment for Turnbull, as she returned to the city where her journey began and once again played for the passionate fans who supported the Inferno.
There were many girls in the Dome, all excited to see their idols play.
They had signs that read “Calgary wants a PWHL team” and “Calgary loves women’s hockey.”
No doubt, a testament to how much the game is growing and how big a role it plays in modern sports.
“It’s amazing to see them in the crowd and know that they have a [chance] and they can aspire to be a part of [the game],” said Charge captain Brianne Jenner.
Representation matters
For older teens and adults, there was no representation of women’s hockey beyond major international tournaments.
Generation Alpha is the first to grow up in a sports culture where women’s professional leagues are far from an exception.
The landscape has shifted from seeing women’s hockey as a rare spectacle to a mainstream staple in professional sports.
Women’s hockey coach Chloee Burke-Dobie says that this new era of women’s hockey is special to her team.
”I started coaching little girls aged six to 10, and they have never played hockey before, so it’s really cool to see that they can have some representation,” said Burke-Dobie.
A night like that can show fans what is possible in their sport and how hard work can pay off.
More than a moment
The Saddledome was electric as fans of all ages cheered for the women as they battled hard to secure the win.
Hosting a PWHL match is exciting for fans, as it lets them see such talented women up close.
For Calgary Dinos ringette goaltender, Ava Campbell, it was inspiring to have the game held close to home.
”Having grown up around sports that are mostly male instead of female, it’s very exciting to get to watch women play in a big arena like this,” said Campbell.
The night wasn’t just a feel-good evening for aspiring athletes.
Fans enjoyed seeing the Toronto Sceptres skate to a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge.
“We’re seeing a shift in sports entertainment in Canada. I think this is a good [game] not just for Canada, but the world,” said Montreal Victorie fan Nathan Bergen.
The game wasn’t just exciting for Alberta fans.
It was a historic moment for Calgary sports.
The takeover game drew an attendance of 16,150, one of the most-attended Canadian games in PWHL history.
For the young girls in the crowd, it was far from an average night at the Saddledome.