The Audition is Over: The Ottawa Charge Belong at Canadian Tire Centre

The Ottawa Charge may have just played their audition for a new home, and they passed with flying colours.

When 17,114 fans packed the Canadian Tire Centre this past Saturday to watch the Charge face off against the Montreal Victoire, it was the perfect answer to those who questioned whether women’s hockey could sustain interest in the nation’s capital.

The Ontario Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) and City of Ottawa had previously insisted that a 5,500-seat arena would suffice for the PWHL team’s future needs. Saturday’s attendance, which was more than triple the projection, suggests they dramatically underestimated the appetite for professional women’s hockey in Ottawa.

A 5,500-seat building is well beneath what the Ottawa Charge deserve

The Ottawa Charge currently call TD Place Arena home, where they’ve averaged 7,225 fans across nine games this season. While respectable, those figures already exceeded the capacity OSEG deemed appropriate for the team’s long-term future at the proposed Lansdowne 2.0 development.

The league’s position has been firm. Settling for inferior facilities sends the wrong message about the value of women’s sports.

“We will not play in a 5,500 seat building,” PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer stated emphatically in November. “These women have worked too hard to get to the point today where a 5,500 seat building is well below what we average in Ottawa.”

A homecoming worth celebrating

For Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie, Saturday’s atmosphere was something deeper than just impressive attendance figures.

“It’s a dream come true. It’s something I don’t take lightly,” Leslie said after the game. “I feel honoured to be in this position to play for my hometown team, to play in front of 17,000 fans and young girls who are aspiring to be PWHL players.”

Her words truly spoke of the significance of the moment for the next generation watching from the stands.

Canadian Tire Centre can be the Ottawa Charge’s home as early as next season

The timeline for a potential move remains fluid, but momentum appears to be building. Should the Charge secure a playoff berth this season, there’s speculation the team could shift to Canadian Tire Centre for the postseason. A full-time relocation could follow as early as next season!

The 18,000-seat venue currently hosts the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, though the Senators have plans to eventually move downtown, potentially to a redeveloped LeBreton Flats area. If that transition happens, the Charge could either follow the Senators downtown or establish themselves as the primary tenant at CTC, which would make them just the second PWHL team, alongside Vancouver’s Goldeneyes, to have their own dedicated venue.

The deteriorating relationship with OSEG and the City of Ottawa has only accelerated the push toward change. This has now turned into an opportunity to prove that women’s professional hockey deserves and can fill major league facilities.

Saturday’s crowd set a precedent. The question is no longer whether the Charge need a bigger venue, but how quickly they can make it happen.