The Home of the Edmonton Oilers is going to be an Airbnb this week for the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Rogers Place will play the role of neutral site for a game between the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Boston Fleet on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.).
But what is this? And why should we care?
Obviously, Rogers Place is gearing up for NHL playoffs later this month, as the Oilers are embroiled in a battle for first place in the Pacific Division with plenty of unfinished business being held over from the past two runs to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Why this? Here? Now?
Well, guess what? The Oilers aren’t the only thing going on in the wide world of sports. And there is more to Canada’s official winter sport than what takes place on NHL ice.
OK, sure. The Goldeneyes and Fleet will technically be playing on NHL ice Tuesday, but this isn’t that. It’s its own thing. And it’s pushing the envelope of expectations on what women’s hockey is and can become.
You’ve seen and know at least some PWHL players and might not even realize it.
They were featured prominently on Team Canada in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
No, not that Team Canada, that skated to a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the gold-medal final on Feb. 22.
We mean the other Team Canada that skated to a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the gold-medal final on Feb. 19.
All 23 players named to Canada’s national women’s hockey team came from PWHL rosters, including stars such as Marie-Philip Poulin of the Montreal Victoire, Natalie Spooner of the Toronto Sceptres, and Sarah Nurse, who will suit up with Vancouver on Tuesday.
And in case you haven’t heard by now, Sarah is the cousin of Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. And if you want to get lost down a rabbit hole of who’s who in that sporting family, go check out her Wikipedia page.
Young hockey fans cheer on the Minnesota Frost and Vancouver Goldeneyes during the second period of PWHL Takeover Tour at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday Dec. 27, 2025.
WHAT IS THE PWHL, AND WHAT IS IT DOING IN MY TOWN?
Good questions. And a great place to start, right at the top.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that has been around since January 2024, and features the top women’s players in the world.
It is comprised of eight teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. (You will notice Edmonton is not on that list, hence the neutral site for this game).
Which begs the question, why do they need a neutral site in the first place?
WHAT IS THE PWHL TAKEOVER TOUR?
Well, it turns out this isn’t a first for this place. Edmonton hosted a PWHL game back in late December, which tends to be a pretty busy time of year, so you will be forgiven for not noticing when the Goldeneyes fell 2-1 to the Minnesota Frost on Dec. 27. That one was played in front of an announced crowd of 10,264.
The league’s first visit to Edmonton occurred last season, on Feb. 16, 2025, when the Sceptres defeated the Ottawa Charge 3-2 in overtime in front of a sold-out Rogers Place of 17,518.
Last season, the Takeover Tour played nine games in front of a total of 123,600 fans.
This year’s Takeover Tour scheduled 16 regular-season games outside of the league’s current markets. And guess what? It’s all coming to a head in Edmonton with the 16th and final stop.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE PUCK DROP?
We know what you’re thinking: “That’s all fine and well for background, nerds. But what do I really need to know?”
So, let’s get right to the meat and potatoes, shall we?
You should probably know that besides the Nurse family ties, there is another local connection on Vancouver’s roster.
Emerance Maschmeyer-Lacasse is our very own homegrown talent and the pride of Bruderheim, AB.
(Oh, and Bruderheim is about a 30-minute drive northeast of Edmonton, for those of you who never travel north of Yellowhead Trail).
She plays in net for Vancouver and was also here during the stop with the Charge, and competed in each of the past two Winter Olympic Games, winning gold and silver.
Her claim to local fame is being the second female goaltender to ever compete in the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament, which has cranked out its fair share of pro hockey players over the years.
As for the game itself, the Fleet is in second place and the Goldeneyes are in second-last place.
Boston sits one point behind the Victoire for first place, and are the only two teams to capture a playoff spot with a handful of games remaining on the schedule.
Vancouver, meanwhile, has 27 points, five up on the last-place Seattle Torrent.
Four of the eight teams qualify for the post-season. And no one, not even poor, poor Seattle, has been eliminated from contention just yet.
Minnesota Frost defenceman Kendall Cooper battles with Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Katie Chan during the third period of the PWHL Takeover Tour at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday Dec. 27, 2025.
OK, BUT WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON HERE?
Are these teams going out of their way to bring us these games out of the kindness of their hearts, or is there a strategy going on here to test the waters for possible expansion in the future?
Word has it the PWHL is looking to expand into as many as four new markets and as few as two in time for the 2026-27 season.
And the Alberta capital is a prime contender, not just because Rogers Place is considered a top-tier venue, but the eastern-heavy league is also looking to establish another strong presence in Western Canada.
In the end, it all comes down to fan engagement. And considering this is the kind of hockey town where the NHL club can crank up its playoff ticket prices by 50 per cent over last year, and people are still willing to throw their money at Rogers Place, perhaps some of that can trickle down to a possible PWHL expansion team.
It’s either that, or fans around here won’t have anything left but empty pockets if the Oilers end up going on another protracted playoff run.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On X: @StarkRavinMod
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