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Danièle Sauvageau’s Innovative Ticket Strategy
Danièle Sauvageau, the general manager of PWHL Montreal, is tackling the challenge of high demand for the upcoming Professional Women’s Hockey League game at Montreal’s Bell Centre. She mentioned that the interest in the event has been so overwhelming that she is exploring unconventional approaches to navigate the arena’s security protocols.
Record Attendance Anticipation
The game between Montreal and Toronto scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the home of the NHL’s Canadiens is poised to set a new women’s hockey attendance record, surpassing the current milestone of 19,285 spectators established during a previous encounter at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on February 16.
Marie-Philip Poulin, the superstar captain of the team, vividly recounted a moment in December 2016 when her former club, Canadiennes de Montreal, played in front of only 5,938 fans at the Bell Centre. She expressed her delight at the upcoming opportunity to step onto the ice in front of a capacity crowd, which she referred to as a long-awaited dream.
Sold-Out Success
The anticipation for the game was significantly high as tickets for the event sold out within minutes of their release to the public in the past month. This sell-out trend is indicative of the growing popularity and appeal of women’s sports, a sentiment echoed by Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Desbiens expressed her admiration for the exponential growth in women’s sports viewership, drawing parallels to March Madness and the rising interest in women’s basketball, attributing this trend to enhanced media coverage and the exceptional talent showcased by athletes on the field.
Expansion Beyond Capacity
With the PWHL experiencing considerable success and selling out arenas such as the 4,000-capacity Verdun Auditorium and the 10,000-seat Place Bell, Saunders believes that playing in larger venues will become a norm moving forward, solidifying women’s hockey as a prominent fixture in the sports industry.
On-Ice Competition
While the focus is primarily on the record-breaking crowd expected at the Bell Centre, there is an essential game happening on the ice between Montreal and Toronto. Currently, Montreal sits at third place in the PWHL rankings, chasing Toronto by two points with four regular-season games left to play for both teams.
Despite Toronto’s dominance in their previous encounters, Montreal looks to harness the energy of the packed arena and turn the tide in their favor. Expecting a physical and intense battle, players from both sides anticipate a competitive and playoff-like showdown.
Final Thoughts
As the teams prepare to face off, Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie emphasized the importance of putting on an excellent performance for the sold-out crowd. The players are eager to secure a victory and provide the thousands of fans in attendance with an exciting and memorable game.
With the expectations high and the stakes even higher, the game promises to be a thrilling display of talent, determination, and the ever-expanding allure of women’s hockey, marking another significant milestone in the sport’s evolution.
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