'Day 1 of the dream job': PWHL opens training camps in all 6 markets

Brianne Jenner felt emotional when she walked through the doors of the arena at TD Place in Ottawa on Wednesday morning.

This arena was home to a major turning point in the growth of women's hockey more than 30 years ago, when the first Women's World Championship took place.

Wednesday marked another milestone in the sport at this rink, a day Jenner has been dreaming about for a long time: the first day of training camp in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

Jenner has won Olympic gold medals and world championships, but ranks the start of her PWHL career toward the top of her career accomplishments.

"This might be probably the most impactful thing that our generation of hockey players will do," said Jenner, who was on the board of players that pushed to create the PWHL and negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the league's owners.

Wednesday was the first time players in all six of the league's markets got together for the first time. They spent much of the day meeting their new teammates and doing off-ice testing before hitting the ice for the first time later this week.

In Ottawa, the players were greeted with a breakfast spread and a brand new dressing room built for their team, something professional female hockey players haven't always had.

"It's been a while since I've had a stall dedicated to my gear and not hanging up in my garage on a hockey tree," forward Hayley Scamurra said.

Scamurra, who has played on the American national team for several years, said the idea of playing in the new league really sunk in when she was finalizing her paperwork to cross the border.

The players in Ottawa will practice together for the first time on Friday.

But as important as the Xs and Os will be, general