VANCOUVER WOMEN’S HOCKEY HISTORY MAKES IT A PERFECT LOCATION FOR EXPANSION

To have watched the April 23 press conference that made the Vancouver PWHL team official was to see a thoroughly modern city with progressive hockey fans welcome a ground-breaking franchise with open arms. What makes Vancouver such a unique market, though, is just how much women’s hockey history already exists there. 

The story of women’s hockey in Vancouver is a tale of pioneering spirit, resilience, and community, stretching from the early 20th century to the present day. Women’s ice hockey in Canada at large dates to the 1890s, but it was in the 1920s that Vancouver made its mark with the formation of the Vancouver Amazons. As explained by the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the Amazons, who were likely the first women’s team in any sport in the province to travel and compete outside BC, were formed in 1918 by a group of King George High School students in Vancouver’s West End, “young Amazons (who) first fell in love with hockey while skating at nearby Denman Arena on Friday nights and watching superstar Cyclone Taylor and his Vancouver Millionaires play on weekends. It wasn’t long before the Amazons were sharing Denman’s ice with Cyclone and the professional Millionaires and being cheered on by crowds of thousands.” 

Instagram @bcsportshall / Via instagram.com

A beaming Jayna Hefford, the EVP of Hockey Operations for the PWHL, mentioned the Amazons’ history during the introductory press conference last week, adding, “Fortunately, a few things have changed since then. Our uniforms are not long skirts anymore. But the passion and intensity remain the same. The PWHL is setting a new standard for women’s hockey: the game has never been faster, more physical, or more skilled, and that’s exactly why fans of all ages, genders and backgrounds are so excited about the PWHL.”

The Amazons’ defining moment came in 1921 when they traveled by train to the Banff Winter Carnival to compete for the Alpine Cup, the most prestigious women’s hockey trophy in Western Canada at the time. The Amazons reached the tournament final, and their captain, Phebe Senkler, was crowned Carnival Queen. The following year, the Amazons returned to Banff and faced the reigning champions, the Calgary Regents, in the final. In a dramatic game played in sub-zero temperatures on an outdoor rink, the Amazons came from behind to win, 2-1 in overtime. This victory made them the first B.C. team to claim the women’s hockey championship of Western Canada, a title some called “the female equivalent of the Stanley Cup,” as the Vancouver Sun recalled recently.

The Amazons’ success inspired a generation of young women and established Vancouver as a hub for women’s hockey. Despite the team’s early success, however, women’s hockey in Vancouver and throughout Canada faced significant challenges. The 1930s and ’40s saw a decline in organized women’s hockey, partly due to societal attitudes and the impact of World War II. Opportunities for women to play at an elevated level diminished, and many teams disbanded. 

The resurgence of women’s hockey in Vancouver began in the 1970s and 1980s, paralleling a broader movement for gender equality in sports. Grassroots organizations and local leagues emerged, providing opportunities for girls and women to play and compete. The Vancouver Female Ice Hockey Association (VFIHA), now known as Vancouver Girls Hockey, was started in 1972 and played a crucial role in this revival, organizing teams and leagues for players of all ages. 

On the amateur side, women’s hockey also got a massive boost when The University of British Columbia (UBC) became a key player in the sport’s development. UBC remains vibrant today, contending regularly for the U Sports title and producing players in a variety of pro leagues around the world. The next stab at women’s pro hockey in Vancity came in 2000 with the establishment of the Vancouver Griffins, a professional women’s team in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). The Griffins were the first NWHL expansion team outside Ontario and Quebec, signaling Vancouver’s growing influence in the women’s game. 

The Griffins attracted top talent, including Olympians Nancy Drolet, Shelley Looney and the renowned Cammi Granato, who is now a Hockey Hall of Famer and the Assistant GM for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The Griffins played against university teams, provincial squads, and other NWHL clubs, raising the profile of women’s hockey in the city for a few seasons. 

In 2010, Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics, which featured the Canadian women winning gold in a thrilling 2-0 win over the U.S. in front of nearly 17,000 fans at what is now known as Rogers Place. 

Toronto Sceptres star forward Hannah Miller is one of five current PWHL players who hails from Vancouver, and she was at that historic gold medal game. “Yes, I was there as a fan,” she recalled in a phone interview that took place before the news of Vancouver getting a team was official. “The city was absolutely electric for those Olympics, and since then, hockey has really been growing in Vancouver. It would be great for the league to go there.” 

The point is, the across-the-board enthusiasm that Vancouverites have shown for women’s hockey from the Takeover Tour—Rogers Arena hosted the second game of this year’s Tour on Jan. 8 drawing a sellout crowd of 19,038—straight through the historic expansion announcement did not come out of the blue.  

“This city has always been a terrific hockey market but its commitment to women’s hockey is truly exceptional,” said Hefford, who actually played in the 2010 Games. “I’ll never forget stepping on the ice here in the 2010 Olympic Games, almost 17,000 people in the stands—which was a record at the time—and that moment really helped set the stage for where we are today and where the women’s game is. We felt that same energy again this year with the Takeover Tour; thousands of youth players, including the Vancouver Angels, who packed that arena and brought that positive, energized environment that the PWHL has become known for.”

Another massive positive for the new team in Vancouver is its home building, the venerable Pacific Coliseum. The Coliseum was built in the late-60s as part of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) and was the home of the NHL’s Canucks until 1995. Known to locals as the “Rink on Renfrew,” it has been home to various other teams and leagues including the WHL’s Vancouver Giants from 2001 to 2016. 

Some of the most notable events to be hosted at Pacific Coliseum include Game 4 of the 1972 Summit Series, Canucks home games in the 1982 and 1994 Stanley Cup, the 2006 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, the 2007 Memorial Cup, and figure skating and short-track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

Instagram @oldcanadaseries / Via instagram.com

The PWHL’s EVP of Business Operations, Amy Scheer, is also excited because it is the first time PWHL will be the primary tenant in a building. “Being the primary tenant is a big part of it,” Scheer said at the press conference. “We are so grateful for [PNE’s] willingness to allow us to come in the building and talk about the things we need and their willingness to help meet those needs and bring a professional environment here for our players.” 

Scheer elaborated on this subject during a recent appearance on the Jocks in Jills podcast. 

Some of the dignitaries that helped make this happen on the Vancouver side expressed their enthusiasm at the press conference as well. Deputy Mayor Mike Klassen said: “I couldn’t be happier that the new host venue for PWHL Vancouver will be the Coliseum. For so many Vancouverites and British Columbians, the Coliseum is where some of our greatest hockey memories were made. To have a new anchor tenant in that iconic venue is really special and a new chapter for the building.”

Taking the long view, women’s hockey in Vancouver has evolved from a handful of determined young women skating at Denman Arena to a thriving community with deep roots and a bright future. The city’s teams and players have overcome obstacles, broken barriers, and inspired countless others to lace up their skates. As the sport continues to grow, the latest market in the PWHL’s already robust spot in the history of women’s hockey will only grow. 

Summed up Hefford beautifully: “We’re so excited for this city to experience the parity and the competitiveness that our league has every single game. ... we’re also looking to youth hockey players across British Columbia getting to know their local team, whether it’s through camps, clinics, community events. This is about more than just putting a team on the ice; it’s about building meaningful connections with people that inspire the next generation.”