The Toronto Sceptres faced the Montreal Victoire on Thursday night in a matchup that resulted in a 4-3 loss in shootout for the Sceptres. Playing at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, the game marked the seventh matchup between the two teams, each played in a different arena. In total, the two teams have played against each other in front of almost 81,000 fans and some of the biggest crowds in women’s hockey history, with the first edition of the Battle on Bay Street being one of them. Reminiscing on both editions of the Battle on Bay Street, we highlight how the Sceptres and its fans are proving that women’s hockey deserves more VISibility.
The 2024 Battle on Bay Street: A Groundbreaking Night
On Feb. 16, 2024, the Toronto Sceptres, formerly PWHL Toronto, hosted the Montreal Victoire (PWHL Montreal) in the first edition of the Battle on Bay Street. The event was a groundbreaking night, as professional women’s hockey returned to Scotiabank Arena – the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs – for the first time since the 2021 PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour Final.
The good old Toronto-Montreal rivalry offered the perfect setting for the PWHL to write history. On the ice, the home team came out on top, but it was in the stands that the true magic happened. The Battle on Bay Street was announced not only as a sold-out crowd, but also as a new attendance record for a women’s hockey game with 19,285 fans.
“To be part of something like that is really special, like a record-setting attendance number is insane. I think about how far our sport has come just over the last few years, it's really cool to be a part of it and I will definitely remember it forever,” says Sceptres forward and VIS Mentor Emma Maltais.
The 2025 Battle on Bay Street: A Celebration
With the event’s popularity the year prior and the great showing from the Toronto fanbase, the Battle on Bay Street returned to Scotiabank Arena for a second edition. This time, the New York Sirens were the main opponent. Although this marked another occasion for the Sceptres to show Torontonians the greatness of this team and of women’s hockey, the organization also took the opportunity to bring more VISibility to the other women’s sports teams that recently joined the city’s sporting scene.
“Playing in front of 8,000 fans every game…just speaks a lot about the city and the support we have behind us.”
Toronto Tempo President, Teresa Resch, was invited to drop the ceremonial first puck, while members of AFC Toronto, NSL Founder Diana Matheson, and members of Hockey Canada National Women’s Under-18 Team were also shown on the jumbotron cheering in the stands. Quickly, the 2025 Battle on Bay Street became not only a platform for women’s hockey to flourish, but also a celebration of what women’s sports can accomplish.
Toronto Fans, the Sceptres’ Seventh Player
Through both editions of the Battle on Bay Street, the Toronto crowd has made its case to be considered one of the best crowds in the history of women’s hockey. Apart from the constant cheering, the multiple signs encouraging the players, and the collective chanting as HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan played in the arena after every Sceptres’ goal, the fans sold out Scotiabank Arena for a second consecutive year.
“The Toronto fanbase is really cool. We’re really lucky to have such a diverse group of fans… from the beginning they’ve been so supportive and it’s been really cool,” Maltais says. For the past two years, the Toronto crowd has rallied behind its team for the best – and for the worst. Between a slow start to the 2024 season and losing in the semifinals to starting the 2025 season without star player Natalie Spooner and being last in the standings, the fans have been cheering on its team through it all.
During the 2024 season, Sceptres tickets were in such high demand that it became almost impossible to buy tickets to regular season games. The constant fan support even pushed the team to make Coca-Cola Coliseum its home arena this year, a 5,000-seat upgrade from the Mattamy Athletic Centre. “Playing in front of 8,000 fans every game…just speaks a lot about the city and the support we have behind us,” Maltais says. She also notes that outgrowing an arena with such history to its name in the first year of the league was "unbelievable.”
What The Future Holds
Torontonians have made it clear that The Six is a women’s hockey town. Sceptres fans are dedicated to supporting the team through its highs and lows and are only demanding more opportunities to cheer on its favorite players at Scotiabank Arena. By supporting its team, the Sceptres’ fans are advocating for more VISibiliy and opportunities for the team to compete on the biggest stage.
