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When the team made the Finals, the city went one step further, holding a brief ceremony in concert with the Charge to raise the team’s flag outside City Hall.
“This is so exciting for our city, and we are so proud of the Ottawa Charge,” Sutcliffe said prior to the ceremony. “The city has embraced the team and the team has embraced the city with so much energy.”
He went on to comment in French that while the city cannot help the players while they are on the ice, it can support the team in other ways throughout the PWHL Finals.
Charge defender Jincy Roese and goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who are out of the lineup due to injuries, attended the flag-raising ceremony and helped the mayor raise the Charge flag. Roese says the support from the city and the fans is something that occasionally catches her off guard. “It’s year two, but you still haven’t wrapped your mind around it yet because this wasn’t a reality,” said Roese. “The fact that we are a professional sports team now that people rally behind is so cool. It’s something that a lot of us never thought we’d experience in life, but we get to do that now and play playoff hockey.”
Though Roese is a native of St. Louis in the United States, she says that the kind and welcoming nature of Ottawans makes her feel like a native.
While the players benefit from the cheers and encouragement of the fans, local businesses benefit from the crowds of people attracted to Charge games at TD Place.
Jordan Kruz, the General Manager at CRAFT Beer Market, attests to the fact that his bar is packed before and after Charge games. “Since day one, it’s been full,” said Kruz. “Our liquor license fits 474 without the patios, and we fill it up every time.”
The bar has its regulars who show up to have a drink before heading into TD Place. He says usually fans start to trickle into the bar about two hours before puck drop. In response to these kinds of numbers, CRAFT doesn’t offer reservations on nights when the Charge play, and they put all hands on deck, nearly quadrupling the staff they have working on a normal night.
Garbed in red and black Charge jerseys, fans trundle into TD Place at game time armed with signs, towels and kazoos. Yes, you read that right … kazoos.
It started as a fun idea amongst a specific section of fans. One game, they showed up with kazoos and passed them out to spur on charge cheers. You know the one … “Duh-nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh-NUH … CHARGE!”
“As far as I know, it started in our section,” said Melanie Sutton, who’s been a season ticket holder since day one. “It’s hard not to laugh when you’ve got 50 kazoos going, but everyone can do it and participate.”
Sutton comes to games with her sister and says that while the siblings never played hockey, they grew up watching their younger brother play. “Being able to watch women play on the larger stage and at a professional level was really fun,” Sutton added. “We wanted to be part of that community.”
What’s clear is that the Charge and the community of Ottawa form a symbiotic relationship that feeds both sides in a mutually beneficial pattern. Getting to the Finals has only boosted the excitement surrounding the team.
All the flowery words in the world couldn’t do the atmosphere at TD Place prior to game one of the Finals justice. Accompanied by a roving drum band featuring a trumpet, the fans crowded the stands just to watch their team warm up. “This is insane,” said Thuemen. “We didn’t expect to be here, but we wanted to be here, so this just feels like an epic bonus. You can tell the girls on the team look like they’re having fun and the crowd is behind them.”
From puck drop to the game’s thrilling conclusion, the fans had their fingers on the pulse, taking in every bit of action and loudly reacting to everything that occurred. The kazoos blared out their song and fans called out “We Want Walter”—a nod to the Walter Cup—and “Let's go Charge” throughout the game.
Ottawa got the win in overtime when Emily Clark brought the fans screaming to their feet by netting the winner on a brilliant, unassisted blast.
After a brief celebration, the team circled up at center ice to perform their post-win ritual. As one, the team and its fans performed a rhythmic clap that ramped up for over a minute before devolving into screaming and cheers once more. The moment was emblematic of the connection between team and city.
