Montreal showed up for women’s hockey all season. So why was Game 1 of the PWHL final half-empty?

Montréal Victoire's Amanda Boulier (44) defends Ottawa Charge's Emily Clark (26) during the second period of Game 1 of the Professional Women's Hockey League Walter Cup finals in Laval on May 14. Photo by Evan Buhler /Postmedia

Article content

LAVAL, QUE. — Walk through the doors of Place Bell on a Montreal Victoire game day and you’ll often find the arena close to its 10,172-seat capacity, with maroon Marie-Philip Poulin jerseys filling the stands.

Article content

Over the past three seasons, the Victoire has become of the PWHL’s biggest success stories, averaging more than 9,000 fans in 12 regular-season games at Place Bell this past season.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Montreal embraced women’s hockey from the moment its inaugural team was announced, building a passionate connection around the team’s franchise players and establishing Place Bell as one of the league’s best atmospheres.

Article content

Article content

That was why the sight of so many empty seats at Place Bell for Game 1 of the 2026 Walter Cup final felt so jarring.

Article content

After clinching a spot in the championship series for the first time, the Victoire organization hosted its biggest game ever only to draw its smallest Place Bell crowd, just 5,062 fans.

Article content

Abby Roque (11) of the Montréal Victoire celebrates after she scores the overtime winning goal against the Ottawa Charge in Game 1 of the PWHL Walter Cup Final at Place Bell on May 14. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images

Article content

Certainly, the Montreal crowd still lived up to its reputation as one of the loudest and most passionate fanbases in hockey.

Article content

As the Victoire scored a tying goal with just three seconds left in regulation, the collective roar inside the arena was deafening. If you had closed your eyes in that moment, it would have been easy to convince yourself the building was full.

Article content

But open your eyes again and the empty blue plastic seats throughout the venue were hard to ignore, especially in the corners and behind both nets, where entire rows sat vacant.

Article content

Tickets weren’t even released for sale in the upper 200-level. The lights in the upper concourse weren’t on during the game, as media navigated darkened hallways to and from the press box in a space that would otherwise have buzzed with energy.

Article content

Article content

While it was hard to have a magic answer as to why fans suddenly disappeared on the Victoire’s biggest night, one thing immediately jumped out: In scheduling the Walter Cup final games, the PWHL repeatedly found itself on a collision course with the Montreal Canadiens.

Article content

Article content

Montreal hockey fans are passionate, but they’re also creatures of habit. Playoff nights revolve around packing into bars and clearing schedules to gather around TVs hours before puck drop.

Article content

When the Victoire clinched its place in the Walter Cup final on Tuesday, fans had less than 48 hours to buy tickets for Thursday’s opener in the best-of-five series, and many likely checked their calendars only to realize they already had other plans centred around the Canadiens’ National Hockey League playoff contest against the Buffalo Sabres that same night.

Article content

Ottawa Charge forward Rebecca Leslie (37) celebrates after opening the scoring against the Montréal Victoire during the second period of Game 1 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Walter Cup final in Laval on May 14. Photo by Evan Buhler /Postmedia

Article content

Unfortunately, postseason scheduling conflicts between Montreal’s two beloved hockey teams have started to become a pattern, and the Victoire usually ends up paying the price.

Article content

Earlier this past week, illness forced the PWHL to reschedule Montreal’s winner-take-all semifinal Game 5 against the Minnesota Frost from Monday to Tuesday, the same night as a Canadiens home playoff game.