A little piece of hockey history will happen this week as the first-ever Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game in Vancouver takes place.
While Vancouver (or any city in western North America) doesn't have a team yet, a regular season game is taking place on Wednesday, Jan. 8 as the Toronto Sceptres and Montreal Victoire are set to meet for the second time this year.
It's early in the season, but the two teams seem to be on different tracks, with Montreal sitting atop the standings and Toronto at the bottom. That said, the two teams' only game so far this season was a tight one, ending with Montreal squeaking out a 4-3 victory in overtime.
The new league is only in its second season, but it's found success as part of a wave of interest in women's sports. Four different games set records in the first season for attendance at a professional women's hockey game.
While the Vancouver PWHL game has sold out, it won't come close to the current record of more than 21,100; Rogers Arena's capacity sits at under 19,000 for hockey games.
Things get started at 7 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets for the Vancouver PWHL game may be hard to come by; Ticketmaster has no original tickets left, only resale tickets. And only a handful at that; the cheapest ones left are selling for $90.
StubHub has some available as well, ranging from $17 to $580, while SeatGeek has tickets from $57 to more than $300.
Transportation
TransLink has no significant alerts, alterations, or additions currently listed for Jan. 8.
A special late-night Hullo ferry has been scheduled for after the game, leaving the Vancouver harbour at 11 p.m. (an hour earlier than the usual late-night special service sailings) bound for Nanaimo.
Restrictions
Signs are allowed, as long as they don't have politically motivated, religious, or obscene messages, according to arena policy. They also can't hinder people's view of the game.
Rogers Arena's bag policy allows for bags under 35.5 cm by 35.5 cm by 15.2 cm. For reference, 35.5 cm is just a bit over 13 inches.
The arena is also a smoke-free zone, as far as cigarettes and cannabis are concerned. The band may have smoke machines.
Other common sense items are to be left at home as well, like skateboards, selfie sticks, and outside food and drinks.
Cashless Venue
Rogers Arena is a cashless venue.
"Concession, retail stands, & hospitality will exclusively accept contactless forms of payment," states the venue's website.
Fan Service
Rogers Arena has a fan service number to text if there are any issues during the show: 604-765-3267.
Fans can text their issue and their location (seat number and row along with the section) and get help.
