Summary
In March, the as-yet-unnamed PWHL Montreal team announced it was moving this game, against Toronto, from the 4,114-seat Verdun Auditorium to Centre Bell. When tickets went on sale in April, they sold out in 20 minutes. The same teams had previously set the attendance record in February at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
During a break in play in the third period, the in-stadium announcer made the long-awaited declaration that the attendance record was officially broken. Everybody, all 21,105 of us, simply screamed our heads off. Losing to Toronto was shit, but the significance of the moment was more than reason enough for joy.
21,105 fans bought tickets and watched a hockey game. Odds are that some of them will go on to pick up a stick. Maybe, in 10 years, a PWHL rookie will get the chance to tell us all how it felt. A moment like that can make the future feel as real as the present.
