At the start of the 2024-25 hockey season I set myself a goal to see as many live games in as many different arenas as I could. It turns out that number seemed to be one.

Road Trip: Brock Badgers Steel Blade Classic
We’re hitting the road this season to see hockey teams in their natural habitats.
PPP LeafsAdam Selvig

After many events in my life that disrupted all of my plans, I was able to find another night to go to one of my favourite places in the whole world: the hockey arena

So, I drove to a train and that train took me to the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, and I walked into a familiar place with a new resident.

Here's how I saw the Toronto Sceptres host the Montréal Victorie at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The Toronto Sceptres are a member of the Professional Women's Hockey League "Original Six" teams, beginning play last year as an unnamed team in a new women's professional league and called the Matamay Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leafs Gardens) home.

They quickly realized that this new venture had more support and more fans than they could fit in the small rink, and they moved up from the 3500 seat college rink to a 10,000 seat arena, saying good bye to the TMU Bold and moving in with the Toronto Marlies.

Getting to a top level women's game in Toronto is much easier with the PWHL than my last time I tried with the Toronto Furies. No longer in the hinterlands of Etobicoke, the Sceptres are on the shores of Lake Ontario, with their very own GO train station at the front door of their arena, and a very convenient (when operational) streetcar loop as well. Plenty of parking on site for the brave person who dares drive into Toronto. I am not brave. I gave up on that 20 years ago.

Where are you?

Coca-Cola Coliseum is one of the main buildings at Exhibition Place just outside downtown Toronto. It opened on December 16th, 1921 and was originally built to host the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

It took over 80 years for it to become a full-time hockey arena, when the Edmonton Oilers moved their farm team to Toronto. The Roadrunners lasted one season (the Oilers moved them to Edmonton for the cancelled NHL season) but it gave the Maple Leafs the inspiration to move the St. John's Maple Leafs closer to home and thus the Toronto Marlies were born in 2005.

While the arena shows it's age, it has gone under many renovations to make it a bit more modern, but it still has the quirks that make it a older arena. Long stair climbs to the concourse, extra large entrances for horses and show equipment, and one spot at the end of the rink with plenty of room for a party are some of the unique features the arena holds.

Who are you watching?

The Toronto Sceptres, that we spoke about earlier, were playing host to the Montréal Victoire, and took on the challenge to defeat the best team in the league.

Why are you here?

Like in our previous trip, I've never been to a Sceptres game and after hearing all about them last season, the passionate fanbase that attends every game, and how it's the new team in town, I wanted feel the energy myself and boy, did it not disappoint.

I was a little perturbed that I missed my train originally. I like seeing the empty arena before it fills, and to get plenty of time to settle in and get my bearings. A 30 second difference made me get to the game with the crowd, and I think it was a bit of a blessing. Sure, the train was crowded and I got on the wrong car so I exited at the complete opposite end of the platform which was filled to capacity when we arrived, but it got me into the crowd and feeling the energy from these passionate fans immediately. Every station we stopped at more Sceptres jerseys, toques, and hoodies got on. With a mix of Team Canada, Montreal Victoire, and Maple Leafs jerseys for good measure.

Walking in with the crowd, I overheard a couple guys trying to remember the other PWHL teams names, at their first game as well. Kids were excitedly talking to their already overtalked to parents, naming players, and probably very specific things they expect their parents to remember, and plenty of OG fans in their 'PWHL' jerseys just taking their time to get in.

The CCC isn't easy to get into as a fan, with everyone funneling into one entrance it's easy for things to back up, then adding in the lines for concessions and merch snaking around, there's a decent chance to get lost in the crowd, but by puck drop everyone was in their seats, and ready to dance as much as the arena host demanded.

As warm ups take place the stands emptied as fans crowded the glass for a glimpse, smile, and maybe a tossed puck from their favourite players. There was a station set up in the concourse at the top of the stands to decorate a sign to hold up, in case you left yours on the train or didn't want to try and maneuver poster board on the TTC.

Unlike many of the early 1900s arenas I've been to in the past, the concourses are wide, have plenty of room to get by the standing room patrons, which was good as this game was filled to the rafters with fans.

The crowd loudly counted down to the start of the first period and our first introductions were some young girls skating to to be the blue line buddies, lining up with the Sceptres for the anthem. The visitors were met with plenty of boos drowning out the cheers from their scattered fans, and then the place erupted for the first time when the Sceptres skated out. The hits got cheers, the shots got cheers, but I don't think the crowd could have been louder when star player Natalie Spooner, who recently made her season debut, scored her first of the season.

Batted out of the air, the fans hit their feet and roared to even more life than before. The crowd did not stop, being loud and reactive to almost everything the Sceptres did.

Intermission had the usual mini game with a kids team (Durham West Lightning), and while they played I took a look around the rink, and each section of seating seems to be named after a different player, with signs such as "Fast Lane", "Soup-er Bowl", and "Watts World" hanging next to the entrances facing the ice.

Despite the Sceptres scoring three more goals in second period, including two in 59 seconds, the crowd demanded one more - if the Sceptres scored in the final minute the crowd gets free pizza - and the players seem to feed off that energy, or wanted pizza of their own, and spent the final 45 seconds rushing and attacking the Victoire net, leading to a lost puck and a scuffle amongst the players that saw two members of the Sceptres sent to the penalty box that got the loudest, and so far only, negative reaction out of the crowd. Probably because they didn't get any pizza either.

Early in the third the crowd boos so hard that I am convinced I missed a goal, but they're yelling "Soooooooup" instead as goalie Kristen Campbell makes a save to keep the Victoire off the board.

It isn't to say Sceptres fans wouldn't boo the Victoire, but they also clearly respect a national hero when one scores, and when Marie-Phillip Poulin scored to break the shutout, there was a sizeable cheer from the crowd. Too loud to be only the Montreal fans in attendance. When you see MPP score, you cheer.

Toronto would win the game, 4-1, and the noise didn't die down once that final horn sounded. This crowd came to see a win, see Spooner come back, and have a great time. They accomplished all of their goals, and then some.

In the post-game press conference Natalie Spooner talked about coming back to this crowd, and the welcome she received. It's a playoff atmosphere every night in Toronto and a great motivator to get back onto the ice.

The playoffs are coming soon, and I can't help but wonder what a packed house in the finals is going to sound like.

Coming home after a game I think about it a lot. Should I go back? Would I recommend it to someone? Was it worth the travel that was almost as long as the game itself?

After going to a Toronto Sceptres game, the answer is Yes, Yes, Yes.

It's an amazing crowd, some of the best hockey players you can watch are here, and incredibly easy to get to. Getting into a game though, is the hardest part.

Looking up Sceptres tickets to purchase, it's standing room only for the final two home games of the season, and they are completely sold out. There are resale tickets available, but those are scarce as most ticket holders want to use them. Cheapest resale will set you back close to $75.

That says a lot about these fans though, and why the game is such an attractive ticket. Season ticket holders aren't here to make a quick buck off a resale or entertaining client, people want to go to these games. They're passionate, proud, and love the team and community they're making here.

That bleeds into the group ticket buyers, the single game Sceptres fans, and even the fans of the Victoire are having a blast. Well, they were until they went down by four, anyway.

If you can, go to a Sceptres game. I also think it's safe to assume this kind of energy and passion also belongs at the other PWHL teams games as well, so go to those too!

You can purchase tickets for the Sceptres and other PWHL teams at Ticketmaster, and if you really need to find tickets you can try the Sceptres reddit page, occasionally some STH's will sell for games they can't make it to, usually for face value, because communities look out for each other.

Two games remain in the regular season, then it's the playoffs.

It's time to go to a Sceptres game.

PWHL - Toronto Sceptres