Around the PWHL: Record-breaking crowd welcomes women's hockey back to Ottawa

Hayley Scamurra had chills even before the puck dropped inside TD Place for PWHL Ottawa's first game on Tuesday.

When the team went out for warm-ups, Scamurra said the crowd was cheering as if they'd just scored a goal.

"I just couldn't believe the energy they were bringing, and you could just tell they were so excited to have us and to see us play hockey," she told CBC Sports.

The game set a record as the most-attended professional women's hockey league game, with 8,318 fans at TD Place. It surpassed the 7,765 fans who attended a Swedish women's hockey league game during the 2021-22 season.

To know how much it meant to the players, look no further than captain Brianne Jenner's face when her name was announced to the crowd. You could see the emotion she felt in that moment, after being one of the players who worked to create the league.

Brianne Jenner gets a standing ovation<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PWHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PWHL</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bhk4Zw4hWC">pic.twitter.com/Bhk4Zw4hWC</a>

The crowd gave her a standing ovation when she skated onto the ice, something Scamurra said made her team proud.

"In that moment, I was just so happy she was getting the recognition that she deserved and the community fully embraces her," she said.

There were ups and downs for that crowd through the first part of the game. There was excitement and then disappointment when Ottawa forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis' goal was called back. A review made it clear the net had been knocked off and the puck went under it, the first test for the PWHL's video review process.

And there certainly would have been some nerves when Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin took a penalty shot, which was saved by Ottawa goalie