‘Excited to bring it home’: Professional women’s hockey game comes to Winnipeg

The best women’s hockey players will be playing in Winnipeg on Sunday. CTV's Daniel Halmarson has more.

Professional women’s hockey is coming to town.

The PWHL’s Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire are facing off Sunday night at Canada Life Centre as part of the league’s ‘Takeover Tour.’

The game isn’t just a homecoming for Ste. Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque and Winnipeg’s Kati Tabin, it’s a dream come true.

“This is the first time as a professional athlete in the league that a lot of my friends and family are going to be able to watch me play live,” Larocque said during a media availability last week.

Larocque currently patrols the blue line for the Charge while Tabin is a defender for Montreal.

“I haven’t played in front of most of my friends and family since high school,” Tabin said. “It’s been a long time, so I’m just super excited to bring it home.”

Both players were selected in the PWHL’s inaugural draft back in 2023 and have watched the league take off in real time.

“Something that fans might not be expecting is the level of physicality in our league and the speed,” Tabin said.

Women’s hockey is seeing a surge of popularity thanks to the heated Canada-U.S. rivalry at the Olympic-level and during the first two-and-a-half PWHL seasons.

The PWHL debuted in 2024 with six teams and expanded to eight prior to this season. The league introduced the ‘Takeover Tour’ as a way to promote the game across North America and to show young women there’s a place for them in the pros.

“I’m really excited for the young girls to be in the stands and I know there’s going to be a ton of them,” Larocque said. “It definitely makes me think back when I was young and I would have been insanely ecstatic if I could have watched this game.”

Hockey Manitoba CEO Trevor Buhnai said registration in female hockey has increased by more than 600 players over the past two seasons. He said events like Winnipeg’s first-ever PWHL game will likely boost those numbers even higher at the grassroots level.

“I think it piques interest and we see those peaks,” Buhnai told CTV News. “But again, we have to build those pathways, making sure inclusivity is easily and readily available for the young girls to join the sport.”

TSN play-by-play announcer Kenzie Lalonde added the ‘Takeover Tour’ games are also a way for the PWHL to gauge interest for potential expansion.

“Because fans know that, I think there is even more of an energy to go out and support their city,” Lalonde told CTV News. “And show, ‘hey, we can host the team. We want the team.’”

Tabin said her hometown of Winnipeg is an ideal candidate for a PWHL team.

“I think [Winnipeggers] would embrace it well,” Tabin said. “There’s such a love for hockey in Winnipeg, so it would be super cool.”

In a statement, a True North Sports and Entertainment spokesperson said the organization expects Sunday night’s game to sell-out.

“Female hockey is not just growing on the ice, but also in the stands,” the spokesperson said. “The response to this game has been tremendous and we are proud to play a small role in creating this moment for our community.”

Puck drop on Sunday from Canada Life Centre is slated for 6 p.m.