Vancouver Goldeneyes prepping for record-breaking PWHL debut

Inside Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, things are whirring back to life.

It’s been a decade since the rink had a major hockey tenant, and three decades since the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks vacated.

Now, Pacific Coliseum is home to the PWHL’s Vancouver Goldeneyes, a transformation that's been underway for the last few months. Vancouver is the first team to have its own arena, a major perk for players who can have their own space and get to spend extra time on the ice whenever they want.

There’s a new logo at centre ice, a brand-new video board hanging from the rafters, and a fresh gym for players to use.

On Thursday, staff draped rally towels over every seat, ready for the more than 15,000 people expected to come through the doors. The sold-out crowd will set a new attendance record in a PWHL team’s home arena.

Others unpacked boxes of jerseys and sweaters for a new merchandise store near an entrance. Fans will be able to buy a jersey with their favourite player's name on it from day one, something that's always been a challenge in women's pro sports.

It all begins on Friday at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET, when the Goldeneyes host the Seattle Torrent to kick off the beginning of two new franchises, and most likely, the start of a new west coast rivalry.

Here's everything you need to know about Vancouver's new PWHL team

For the Goldeneyes' head coach, Brian Idalski, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of game.

“You only get a first chance to make an impression like that once,” Idalski told reporters at the rink this week. “Close your eyes, smell the smells. It’ll be a memory.”

As arena staff prepared the building for its debut, Idalski has been doing his own kind of building.

His roster was constructed from scratch starting with an