The PWHL’s Ottawa Charge will play their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators, starting with the 2026-27 season, the team announced at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“Senators Sports & Entertainment is proud to officially welcome the Ottawa Charge to Canadian Tire Centre,” SS&E president and CEO Cyril Leeder said in a statement. “The Ottawa-Gatineau region is fortunate to have two professional hockey teams competing at the highest level. In a short period of time, the Charge have developed a substantial following and fan base, and they have become an important part of our local hockey ecosystem.”

The Charge spent their first three seasons at TD Place, located in the city’s Lansdowne Park area. But in November, the city of Ottawa approved a $419 million redevelopment plan for Lansdowne Park, which included a much smaller event centre that seats 5,850 and has a capacity of 6,600. The current TD Place has a capacity of 8,500.

“Honestly, in four decades of working in professional sports, this might be the most disappointing thing I have ever seen,” PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Amy Scheer said in an op-ed to the Ottawa Citizen in November.

The Charge played Walter Cup playoff games at the Canadian Tire Centre this spring, en route to a championship final series appearance against the Montreal Victoire. Ottawa set attendance records at the Canadian Tire Centre. For Game 1 of its Walter Cup series against Montreal, the Canadian Tire Centre had 16,894 fans, a PWHL single-game playoff attendance record. The Charge lost the Walter Cup to the Victoire in four games.

In a regular-season game against the Victoire on April 3, the Canadian Tire Centre had 17,114 fans, the highest-attended women’s hockey game ever played in Ottawa.

“As the Charge community continues to grow, the move to the Canadian Tire Centre will position us to welcome more fans and continue building a memorable experience for our players and our supporters,” Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld said in a statement. “TD Place was the foundation of our early success, and we’re deeply grateful for the energy our fans brought to every game in that building. In the playoffs, we witnessed that they could recreate that magic at CTC, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build momentum in our new home.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Ottawa Senators, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Sports Business, Women's Hockey

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Patrice Bergeron, Brian Burke, Cindy Curley, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne and Keith Tkachuk have been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, the Hall announced Monday. The inductees will enter the Hall in November.

Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward six times, most of any player. He won his final Selke in 2022-23, his last year before retiring.

He was not just a defensive whiz. He scored 1,040 points, all for the Boston Bruins. His most productive offensive rates occurred while centering Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. The 2003 second-round pick developed into one of the top power-play specialists while working the bumper position.

He won the Stanley Cup in 2011. The Quebec native helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014. He also claimed international titles at the 2004 World Championship and 2005 World Junior Championship. Coaches regularly used Bergeron with Sidney Crosby during international competition.

Burke will enter the Hall in the builder category. He served as general manager for the Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, winning the Cup with the Ducks in 2007. In Vancouver, Burke executed the trades that allowed the Canucks to draft Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1999.

Burke was president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also worked for the NHL as senior vice president and director of hockey operations.

Curley played at Providence College. The forward helped the Friars win back-to-back NCAA championships in 1984 and 1985.

The native of Stow, Mass., was a member of Team USA’s inaugural World Championship team in 1990 and won three silver medals while playing for the Americans at the event.

Price played his entire career for the Montreal Canadiens. The netminder won a franchise record 361 games.

He reached his peak in 2014-15, when he posted a .933 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average in 66 appearances. The smooth-moving Price won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie that season.

Price, a native of Anahim Lake, British Columbia, won Olympic gold with Team Canada in 2014. He was also a gold medalist at the 2007 World Junior Championship. His career ended early because of a knee injury.

Rinne played all 683 of his games with the Nashville Predators. The 2004 eighth-round pick developed into a workhorse for the Predators, playing a career-high 73 games in 2011-12. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2017-18 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.31 GAA.

The Finnish goalie represented his country at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships. He helped the Finns win silver in 2014.

Tkachuk was one of his generation’s most dangerous power forwards. The left-shot Tkachuk scored 1,065 points, including 538 goals, for the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers.

In 1996-97, Tkachuk, a native of Melrose, Mass., scored 52 goals for the Coyotes. He became the first American to lead the NHL in goals.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Providence Friars, Providence Friars, NHL, Women's Hockey, Men's Olympic Ice Hockey, Women's Olympic Ice Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Kim Weiss, who became the second woman to serve as an assistant coach in the AHL earlier this year, was named head coach of the PWHL’s expansion team in Las Vegas on Monday.

Weiss, 37, spent the last two seasons with the Colorado Eagles, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. She started with the Eagles as a video coach in 2024 and was promoted to assistant coach in January 2026, becoming the second woman to be a full-time assistant in AHL history. The first was Jessica Campbell, who was an assistant for Coachella Valley from 2022 to 2024 before she was promoted to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.

“I am thrilled to welcome Kim Weiss as the first Head Coach of PWHL Las Vegas,” PWHL Las Vegas general manager Dominique DiDia said in a news release. “Throughout her coaching career, Kim has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to develop players, build strong team cultures, and achieve success at the highest levels of the game.”

Bench boss locked in 🔒

Kim Weiss has joined the team as Head Coach ahead of our inaugural season. She spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles where she became the second woman in AHL/NHL history to serve as an Assistant Coach in a full-time role.

📰… pic.twitter.com/ryMFwIDCQj

— PWHL Las Vegas (@pwhl_lasvegas) June 15, 2026

During her time in Colorado, the Eagles earned a Pacific Division title (2025) and made two trips to the Calder Cup playoffs, including a run to the Western Conference final that ended last week. A native of Potomac, Md., Weiss served as a guest coach for the Avalanche in 2023-24 and worked during the last four Avalanche development camps. She also served as an assistant coach at Trinity College — her alma mater — with the men’s hockey program in 2023-24.

“It’s an honor to become a head coach at the highest level of the women’s game and I couldn’t be more excited to join PWHL Las Vegas,” Weiss said in a statement. “Much of what I’ve experienced over the last few years wasn’t something I dreamed about growing up because those opportunities simply didn’t exist. I’m incredibly grateful for the people and organizations that have helped me along the way, especially the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles.

“I’ll carry many of the lessons I learned from one of the best organizations in hockey as we build a first-class environment for our players, staff, and fans in Las Vegas.”

Weiss and DiDia have some history, having played three seasons together at Trinity College, where Weiss served two seasons as captain and set program records in points (108) and goals (62). Weiss also has experience training forward Hayley Scamurra, who signed with Vegas after winning a Walter Cup with the Montreal Victoire.

“Having played alongside her in college, I have seen firsthand the character, integrity, leadership and competitiveness that define her, and her values align perfectly with the culture we are building in Las Vegas,” DiDia said.

Weiss joins a Vegas team that has already signed eight players to its inaugural roster, including Walter Cup champion teammates Scamurra, Erin Ambrose and Maureen Murphy, and 24-year-old former Minnesota defender Kendall Cooper. Vegas has also signed U.S. star Hilary Knight, but according to a source briefed on the situation, Knight will be traded to Detroit for a 2026 first-round pick when the league’s trade freeze lifts on June 16.

Vegas has until Monday at 3 p.m. ET to sign two more players in the PWHL’s complicated, six-phase expansion roster-building process. The team will then continue to add to its roster through the PWHL Draft, which is being held in Detroit on Wednesday, and free agency, which opens on Friday.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Colorado Avalanche, NHL, Women's Hockey, women's sports

2026 The Athletic Media Company

OTTAWA – Kori Cheverie saw Monday night coming.

“I know that the third (win) is going to be the hardest,” the Montreal Victoire coach said after her team took a commanding 2-0 lead in the Walter Cup Finals. “That’s what we’re focused on right now. The girls are allowed to be happy until the puck drop of the Habs tonight and then we move on.”

The Walter Cup trophy was in the house for Game 3 of the best-of-five series and nearly six minutes away from being hauled out for the Montreal Victoire. But with their backs against the wall, the Ottawa Charge staged a late-game comeback, scoring two goals in the final 5:30 of regulation to beat Montreal 2-1 and stay alive.

For nearly 50 minutes, the game was deadlocked 0-0 as goalies Ann-Renée Desbiens and Gwyneth Philips turned over 40 shots aside.

But just moments after Ottawa killed off a third Montreal power play, Montreal forward Hayley Scamurra carried the puck up the middle of the ice, dished to Maureen Murphy and drove to the net, where Murphy’s shot bounced right off the end boards and onto Scamurra’s stick. Known as a reliable defensive forward, Scamurra jumped on the puck before Philips could finish her slide through the crease and banged home the opening goal.

Seven minutes later, Ottawa rookie forward Peyton Hemp tied the game with her first goal of the playoffs. Rebecce Leslie scored the game-winner with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation — her league-leading fourth of the playoffs.

The deafening crowd of 16,894 at Canadian Tire Centre was the largest of any PWHL playoff game. Game 4 will return to CTC on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET).

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

LAVAL, Que. — The Montreal Victoire grabbed a commanding 2-0 series lead in the PWHL Walter Cup Finals against the Ottawa Charge on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from defenders Kati Tabin and Maggie Flaherty — with the eventual game-winner — provided the Victoire with a 2-1 overtime win over the Charge in Game 2 of the best-of-five championship series.

It was the sixth straight Walter Cup Finals game that required overtime, dating back to last postseason. And continued Montreal’s trend of heading to overtime in every single Game 2 they’ve played in the postseason.

Flaherty ensured the game didn’t require multiple extra frames, though, scoring the game-winning goal at 14:12 in front of a raucous crowd of 9,232 at Place Bell.

The victory puts Montreal just one win away from hoisting their first-ever Walter Cup — and Ottawa’s season on the brink.

Game 3 is Monday night (6 p.m. ET) in Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Ottawa strikes first (again)

Heading into the Finals, the Ottawa Charge knew beating Ann-Renée Desbiens would be a challenge. Desbiens set league records for wins (19), save percentage (.955) and goals-against average this season (1.11), and finished the semifinals against Minnesota, allowing just four goals on 122 shots (a .967 save percentage).

But the Charge also found a winning recipe against U.S. Olympic gold medallist Aerin Frankel in the semifinals, beating her nine times on just 93 shots; That .903 save percentage is far worse than Frankel’s previous career-low, a .921 save percentage after the 2024-25 season.

“The recipe doesn’t change,” said Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner. “It’s (about) how hard are you going to work to get in front of her, to get on those loose pucks around the net just to make her life as difficult as possible because we know she’s a great player.”

In a first period with more dump-ins and play along the walls than zone time for any team, Ottawa created the exact kind of chaos they needed to best Desbiens.

Rookie forward Peyton Hemp won a puck battle below the goal line and sent the puck right into the slot for Gabbie Hughes, whose shot snuck by Desbiens and hit the crossbar. As Desbiens turned to find the loose puck, Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin and defender Maggie Flaherty jumped into the blue paint as Ottawa forwards crashed the net.

Eventually, rookie Sarah Wozniewicz took a final whack at the puck to beat Desbiens (and Poulin, who was standing in the crease).

“I don’t think it’s going to be a pretty goal (against Desbiens),” Wozniewicz said on the broadcast at the end of the period. “We gotta go to the net and get the rebounds and I think that’s how we’ll score.”

Wozniewicz, Ottawa’s third-round draft pick, was among the highest scoring rookies in the PWHL this season with seven goals and 13 points while mostly playing on the Charge’s top line with Jenner and Rebecca Leslie. She joined the Charge after four years at the University of Wisconsin, where she established herself as one of the best checking forwards in college hockey.

Her game has translated well to the PWHL — and in the playoffs, as Wozniewicz is now riding a three-game point streak dating back to Ottawa’s semifinals clincher against Boston.

Tabin turns the tide

Tabin’s game-tying goal — just 32 seconds into the second period — was huge, and the kind of depth scoring Montreal has lacked in previous playoff attempts.

In three years with the Victoire, Tabin has established herself as a steady shutdown defender — and an absolute pain to play against. But on her first career playoff goal, Tabin flashed some impressive skill.

On an offensive zone faceoff for Montreal, with both teams playing four-on-four, Poulin directed Tabin to slide down to the middle of the circle. The puck dropped to a bit of a broken play, but Tabin was able to jump on it in the middle of the ice and wound up one-on-one against Philips, where she pulled the puck to her backhand and elevated it blocker side for a stunning finish.

Not the first time Poulin has dictated where she wants her teammates on an O-zone draw. In Game 5 of the semifinals against Minnesota, she had Catherine Dubois move a few steps to the right. She won the draw clean to an awaiting Dubois, who scored a massive opening goal for Montreal’s eventual win against the back-to-back champs.

The rest of the second period returned a physical grind with just 10 combined shots on goal (6-4 for Ottawa).

A low-scoring affair

After 60 minutes, Ottawa and Montreal combined for just two goals — the second-lowest score at the end of regulation in this year’s playoffs — due to low shot volume and strong goalie play.

Saturday’s game was a tight and physical contest with almost as many hits (22) as there were shots (26) in the first two periods alone.

“When you’re playing for a championship, the physicality is going to be there,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod on the PWHL’s broadcast ahead of the final frame. “Both these teams are passionate, both these teams are great — it’s playoff hockey.”

By the end of the third, Desbiens (16) and Philips (23) had both faced their lowest shot totals of the playoffs and turned aside all but one goal each. Philips was a bit busier in the first period (11 shots against) and the third (eight shots against) and made two big saves on two different Laura Stacey breakaway attempts. Desbiens, meanwhile, never faced more than six shots in a single period.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Manon Rhéaume has been hired as general manager of the PWHL’s new expansion franchise in Detroit, the league announced on Friday.

The 54-year-old former Canadian national team goaltender is a two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist and one of the most influential figures in women’s hockey history.

Rhéaume is the only woman to have ever played in the NHL, suiting up in preseason exhibition games in 1992 and 1993 for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She also became the first woman to have her own hockey card in 1992.

Her role in the PWHL marks a new chapter, and Rhéaume’s first in women’s pro hockey.

“Manon is a pioneer whose impact on the game extends far beyond the ice,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations. “She brings an unmatched hockey resume, a championship mindset, and a lifelong commitment to growing the women’s game.

“Her experience at every level of hockey, combined with her leadership and vision, makes her the perfect person to lead PWHL Detroit into its inaugural season.”

Rhéaume spent the last four seasons in hockey operations with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and has worked with the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club for 11 years, providing mentorship, development and leadership for girl hockey players in the Detroit area.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,” Rhéaume said. “This city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special.

“The growth of women’s hockey has been incredible to watch, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of the sport alongside the PWHL. I can’t wait to get started and build a team that Detroit fans will be proud of.”

The PWHL announced last week that it would expand to Detroit for the 2026-27 season, with additional expansion teams in Las Vegas and Hamilton revealed Wednesday. PWHL Detroit will play at Little Caesars Arena, home of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

Rhéaume will assemble PWHL Detroit’s inaugural 2026-27 roster through the league’s expansion roster-building process and via the 2026 PWHL Draft, which will be hosted at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on June 17.

The PWHL Players Association sent its members a guide to the expansion roster-building process that included multiple signing windows and no traditional expansion draft. In Friday’s news release, the league said: “All phases of the comprehensive roster building process will be finalized and announced by the league in the coming weeks.”

The expansion process, laid out by the PWHLPA document, is tentatively set to begin May 28.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, NHL, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic’s hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox.

Good morning, hockey folks! So, the Ducks got cooked, the Habs are one “W” from rounding out our 2026 NHL final four, and the PWHL finals opened with some OT heroics. The 100th edition of Red Light 🚨 is here.

Let’s go.

Conference Finals Loom

We’re getting awfully close to knowing what Round 3 will look like now, so much so that the schedule has already been released. Let’s get you caught up on what you might have missed last night.

Golden Knights 5, Ducks 1

Vegas wins series 4-2

My goodness, Mitch Marner. I know the plucky young Ducks have been playing with some newfound swagger all season, but did you really need to end their fun while stealing their soul, Shang Tsung style, with a move this crushing?

Marner was dancing around the Honda Center ice all night, putting up a goal and an assist early in what unfortunately became a bit of a laugher. The former Maple Leaf extended his NHL postseason scoring lead to three points with 18 in 12 games, and he’s now through to the conference final for the first time in his career. But the champions of the Pacific Division Pillow Fight will have their hands full with the powerhouse Avalanche.

Hey, full marks to the Golden Marners for making it look relatively easy so far, but forgive the rest of the hockey world for some skepticism that they can give Colorado a real push after the unevenness of 13th-place Vegas’ season. (Counterpoint: All three meetings between them were very tight during the regular season, with two going to overtime. So … maybe?)

That series begins Wednesday in Denver. It could be the first game of Round 3, depending on what happens in Game 6 over in the East.

More:

The Golden Knights have reached the NHL’s final four for the fifth time in nine seasons, the most of any team since 2017.

Vegas’ “swagger” is definitely back.

Despite the loss, the Ducks made remarkable progress this season.

Canadiens 6, Sabres 3

Montreal leads series 3-2

We need at least one Game 7 in this round, don’t we? This feels like the series to deliver it. (Especially given how, you know, all the other series are already over. Plus, we already had series end in a sweep, five games and six games, so seven completes the set.)

Buffalo jumped to a 3-2 lead 10 minutes into Game 5, getting the Sabres’ home crowd and its beer sabres, uh, jumping. But the Habs responded with four unanswered goals, including rookie Ivan “The Demigod” Demidov’s first-ever playoff tally to close the scoring on the power play.

Now, all the pressure is on the Sabres, who will have to find a way to win in the Bell Centre madhouse in a do-or-die Game 6 tomorrow. They’ve got a big question in net, too, after a rough night for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was pulled for Alex Lyon.

That said, the Sabres have proven people wrong all year; now’s the time to show what they’re made of after a special season.

So much to learn from this one:

Habs coach Martin St. Louis was rewarded for sticking with Jakub Dobeš, who allowed goals on three straight shots but stopped all 32 after that.

Electric young talents Lane Hutson and Demidov are the center of Canadiens’ present (and future) success.

St. Louis and Sabres coach Lindy Ruff have differing approaches to NHL playoff mind games. Fascinating.

Alex Tuch and Buffalo’s other top players let the Sabres down.

PWHL Finals

Victoire 3, Charge 2 (OT)

Montreal leads series 1-0

Montreal hockey fans certainly have a lot to cheer about right now.

Their Abby Roque was the hero in Game 1 of the Walter Cup Finals, scoring her second of the night in overtime to cap a dramatic comeback after the Victoire tied the score with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

Poor Ottawa needs to memory-wipe this one as quickly as it can — this series is only best-of-five.

Hailey Salvian was in Laval last night with the scoop as Game 2 goes tomorrow. The good news is that it’s an afternoon game, so fans can make it a PWHL-NHL doubleheader.

Newsplosion

Firings, hirings, endings

As more teams are eliminated, the headlines only grow outside the playoffs.

Yesterday, there was the second bloodletting for a Canadian team in two days, with the reeling Oilers firing coach Kris Knoblauch. (ICYMI: The Maple Leafs fired Craig Berube on Wednesday.)

Awkwardly, the Knoblauch news came after it was reported the Oilers had inquired about the availability of former Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, which sources say is never a great sign for someone’s job security. But who should they hire?

Elsewhere, the last-place and third-pick-owning Canucks unveiled their new brain trust: Club legends and twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin as, I’m guessing, the first-ever co-presidents of hockey ops (which I’m told the kids are calling CoPoHos), and Ryan Johnson as GM.

The vibes seemed remarkably good coming out of that presser — even the Sad Club Commish was impressed — so we’ll allow Vancouver a rare win to celebrate, even if that’s a crew fairly low on front-office experience.

Meanwhile, the postmortems keep rolling in for teams that have been wiped out of the playoffs … and one that didn’t even make them.

Mike Russo and Joe Smith break down what will be a tough summer for the Wild as they try to join the ranks of true contenders after a five-game humbling at the hands of the Avs. I often feel like one of the hardest things to do in the NHL is to go from good to great; that’s the real challenge facing GM Bill Guerin with his club because good doesn’t win Cups.

Speaking of which: Do the Flyers need to make a big swing now to take the next step? Or should Danny Brière keep preaching patience?

In other tough calls in Pennsylvania news: Penguins GM Kyle Dubas likely has to make a few and break some old-guy hearts.

Reading this, I’m not sure any fanbase is angrier than the Rangers’ right now. Can you blame them?

💡 MirTrivia Question

What a run for Jakub Dobeš this postseason. After last night, the Habs netminder is now up to seven wins, tied for fifth-most for a rookie goalie in a single playoffs in the salary-cap era.

Can you name the four rookie goalies ahead of him?

(Hint: Three won the Stanley Cup. And the fourth was eliminated in the conference finals by one of those rookies who won it all.)

Answers at the bottom.

Coast to Coast

🏒 Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who has played just two NHL seasons, will remain captain of Team Canada at the worlds, even with 38-year-old Sidney Crosby, who has played 21 NHL seasons, on hand. I wonder if he’ll make Crosby pick up pucks.

👏 Good stuff here from other NHL legends on Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer’s historic season. What a lovely story he was all year; check out his appearance on “GMA” earlier this week to see what I’m talking about. Here’s hoping he gets to show what he can do in the playoffs next season.

💸 The Blackhawks signed the KHL’s leading goal scorer to an entry-level deal. Can Roman Kantserov, the first 21-year-old to lead the league in goals since Kirill Kaprizov in 2018-19, make an immediate impact in the NHL?

✅ Our latest Stanley Cup contender checklist focuses on the Flames, who need just about everything except a goalie right now.

😱 I wrote a thingy that includes this shocking stat: Just one goalie in the top 19 in salary this season started a game in Round 2. So, is this success of cheaper, tandem goalies a trend or a blip?

📰 Missing Sean McIndoe’s whimsy? Read this.

🎤 In the latest “The Athletic Hockey Show,” our crew was joined by Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky, who hasn’t had anything to do for a while as his team awaits an opponent. Plus, the Oilers coaching carousel, PWHL final talk and the inevitable Avs. Watch/listen here.

MirTrivia Answer

So, who are the four rookies with more than Dobeš’ seven wins in a cap-era postseason? The three goalies who won the Cup as freshmen are:

Cam Ward, Carolina, 2005-06: 15 wins

Matt Murray, Pittsburgh, 2015-16: 15 wins

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis, 2018-19: 16 wins

(Yes, somehow Binnington was a rookie seven years ago. Now he’s old. NHL timelines are unforgiving.)

The fourth goalie, who lost to one of the above? It was Ryan Miller with the Sabres, who faced Ward in a very memorable matchup. At the time, it was the first conference final between rookie goalies since 1981.

Miller ended his run with 11 wins, the most he would ever get in a postseason.

How are we doing? We’d love to hear from you. Email your feedback, questions or comments to redlight@theathletic.com.

📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

NHL, Women's Hockey, NHL Highlights, Red Light, Women's hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

LAVAL, Que. – For several hushed moments in the dying seconds of Game 1 of the PWHL Finals, Montreal Victoire fans watched Laura Stacey on the ice, clutching her knee.

Since her first year with the Victoire in 2024, Stacey has emerged as a fan favorite with a relentless engine — and one of the most productive players in the PWHL. With Ann-Renée Desbiens pulled and the Victoire pushing to tie the game, Stacey got tangled up with Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes in the corner and was in visible pain on the ice.

Eventually, she was helped off the ice by Montreal captain — and her wife — Marie-Philip Poulin. Fifteen seconds later, Poulin placed a perfect pass to the net-front and rookie defender Nicole Gosling beat Gwyneth Philips to force overtime with just 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

Stacey returned for the extra frame, which prompted chants of “Stacey, Stacey” by the Victoire faithful.

Abby Roque, playing in her first postseason in her debut season with the Victoire, scored the game-winner 2:29 into overtime to seal the 3-2 victory.

It was the fifth straight game between Ottawa and Montreal in the playoffs that required overtime, dating back to last postseason.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) back at Place Bell.

Ottawa’s strong start/missed opportunity in the first

The Charge were outshot by double digits in all four games of their semifinal series against the Boston Fleet. But they came out strong in the first period on Thursday, outshooting the Victoire 10-5 — the first time Ottawa put 10 pucks on net in a single period during this year’s playoffs.

The team did a nice job getting to the inside of the middle of the ice, with nearly all of those looks coming from between the faceoff dots. Once again, though, Ann-Renée Desbiens was able to keep Montreal in the game, stopping all 10 shots.

A diving cross-crease save on Fanuza Kadirova, who has the co-lead in playoff scoring, was among the highlights. She also denied Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner’s breakaway chance in the latter half of the period.

It was the first time the Charge failed to score in the first period of the 2026 postseason. That’s all credit to Desbiens.

Leslie breaks through

For the second year in a row, it was Rebecca Leslie who opened the scoring in the PWHL Finals. Last year, against the Minnesota Frost, was a bit more of a pleasant surprise after a one-goal regular season campaign by Leslie, who spent two seasons between Toronto and Ottawa as a useful depth player.

A lot can change in a year, though. Leslie is now one of the breakout stars of the season, a legitimate top-line winger and Ottawa’s top goal scorer; only Minnesota’s Kelly Pannek (16) had more goals than Leslie (14) league-wide this season.

“The purpose that she brings to her practices and her training, she’s always looking for ways to get better, and I think I saw that training with her this summer,” Jenner said before the playoffs. “The way that she came into the season, the way that she was skating, the accuracy with her shot, so many pieces to her game were just so dialed in I think from the start of the season.”

A lot of that was on display on Leslie’s second-period goal.

Montreal defender Nadia Mattivi, who was signed to a 10-day contract on Thursday afternoon to make her playoff debut, failed to hold the line on a pass to the point and Leslie jumped on the loose puck and used her speed to lead a rush chance the other way for the Charge.

Leslie did well to wait out a sliding Erin Ambrose, and dragged the puck around Ambrose’s outreached stick to get an initial shot off. After Desbiens made the initial save, Leslie gathered her own rebound and scored with some chaos in the crease.

Leslie added a second goal, which looked like the game-winner, late in the third period.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

The PWHL is officially expanding to Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ont., for the 2026-27 season, the league announced Wednesday.

The Las Vegas franchise, which The Athleticreported on Tuesday, will play its home games at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The rink has a capacity of 17,500 for hockey and boasts one of the best atmospheres in the NHL. Hamilton will play at TD Coliseum, which recently underwent a $300 million renovation.

Vegas and Hamilton follow Detroit as part of the PWHL’s second wave of expansion, which could include a fourth franchise. The three new teams will join the league’s eight current markets in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Minnesota, New York and Seattle.

The PWHL hosted a successful neutral-site game in Hamilton in January, with 16,012 fans at TD Coliseum — the third-largest “Takeover Tour” crowd of the season. There is a school of thought that a team in Hamilton could siphon support from the league’s Toronto franchise, which plays just 40 miles from TD Coliseum. However, according to the league’s press release, over 70 percent of Hamilton’s “Takeover Tour” ticket buyers purchased their first-time PWHL game ticket, “underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience,” even with two other teams located in Ontario.

There’s a chance Hamilton could draw some Toronto Sceptres fans from the Greater Toronto Area, but the city is also within commuting distance from southern Ontario cities such as St. Catharines, Kitchener, Waterloo and London.

“The response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations.

Hamilton’s expansion effort was made in partnership with Oak View Group, which operates TD Coliseum, and the city of Hamilton. The league will continue to operate under its single-entity ownership model, where Mark Walter — the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and his wife, Kimbra, own the PWHL and all of its teams.

Expanding to Las Vegas is somewhat of a departure from the norm for the PWHL, which launched its first three expansion teams in markets that were part of the “Takeover Tour.” Still, according to Amy Scheer, the league’s executive vice president of business operations, “Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own.”

Las Vegas has rapidly become a hub for major professional sports. According to the PWHL’s press release, since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017, youth hockey participation in Nevada has surged, particularly among girls and women, by 600 percent.

“From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and Aces,” said Scheer, “the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports.”

The PWHL’s expansion to Vegas also widens the league’s footprint to the American Southwest. According to the release, the city’s accessibility, hospitality infrastructure and world-class facilities make Vegas a “strong long-term fit for the PWHL.” The Golden Knights and MGM Resorts International, which is a part owner of T-Mobile Arena, supported the league’s expansion efforts to Vegas.

“The arrival of the PWHL in Vegas is a milestone for women’s hockey and our entire community,” said John Penhollow, the Vegas Golden Knights president of business operations. “We’re proud of how far youth hockey has come locally, and even more excited about the path forward and opportunities ahead for future generations.”

As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the league revealed each team’s official colors and said team names and logos will be announced at a later date. Hamilton’s team colors will be gold, maroon and cream; Vegas will wear green and gold.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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The Professional Women’s Hockey League is headed for Las Vegas, a source briefed on the situation confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday.

The league is expected to announce Vegas as the home of the PWHL’s 10th franchise Wednesday afternoon, and an invitation was recently distributed by Foley Entertainment Group, which owns the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, touting an announcement. Vegas will be the second of what could be four expansion teams for the 2026-27 season; PWHL Detroit was announced last week.

“You’re invited to join us for a historic Las Vegas sports announcement,” the invite, which was sent to youth hockey teams in the area and obtained by The Athletic, said. “This event will bring together our sports and hockey community, recognizing our city’s passion and spirit, while celebrating the future of the sport in our city with a look ahead at what’s to come.”

A PWHL team in Vegas would likely play at T-Mobile Arena, home of the Golden Knights, which has a capacity of 17,500 for hockey and one of the best atmospheres in the NHL. There’s also Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., home to the AHL Henderson Silver Knights. However, a 5,567-seat arena is likely too small for the PWHL, which averaged 9,304 fans per game during its record-breaking 2025-26 regular season. 

Las Vegas has quickly become a hub for major professional sports. After the NHL’s Golden Knights — led by owner Bill Foley — broke the seal on Las Vegas as a professional sports market in 2017, other leagues quickly followed suit. The WNBA Aces relocated from San Antonio in 2018; the NFL’s Raiders moved from Oakland for the 2020 season; MLB’s Athletics, also formerly in Oakland, plan to open a ballpark in 2028; and the NBA in March approved exploration of placing an expansion team in the city for the 2028-29 season.

The Aces have become a dynasty franchise in Vegas, winning three league titles in four years. In March, the organization announced it was the first WNBA team to sell out season ticket allotments for three consecutive seasons. The Aces play at Michelob ULTRA Arena and have drawn big crowds for select games hosted at T-Mobile. In July 2024, the Aces played against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever in front of 20,366 fans — the largest regular-season crowd at a WNBA game since 1999.

Vegas has also become a premier destination for NHL players, which was on display yet again this summer when the Golden Knights landed Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Players don’t want to leave,” Foley said in a July interview with The Athletic’s Jesse Granger. “Once they get here, and they see our facilities and where we play, and they see the way we take care of our players, scouts and coaches, and how everyone is all in, they don’t want to leave.”

PWHL Las Vegas and Detroit will join the original six markets of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York and Minnesota and the league’s first expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver.

San Jose, Calif., and Hamilton, Ont., have also emerged in recent weeks as two of the league’s other prime options to reach 12 teams for next season, according to chatter in league circles.

Teams in Las Vegas and another western market, along with another in the east, would make the league more geographically balanced, potentially placing four franchises in the West, two in the Midwest (Detroit and Minnesota) and six in the East. Having that kind of footprint might also allow the PWHL to split into two conferences and potentially four divisions; PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told the Associated Press the league is exploring the idea.

Selecting expansion markets has been a fluid process for league executives, who have spent months working through the available options.

“There is a line of cities eager to have us there, whether it’s for a couple Takeover Tour games or for a full-time team,” Stan Kasten, the president of the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers and a PWHL advisory board member, said last month. “We’re going to have news about that in the next few weeks.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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