Poulin receives 'deafening' ovation from record crowd on 'surreal' day in Montreal

21,105 people, a record crowd for a women's hockey game, were in attendance for Saturday's PWHL showdown between Toronto and Montreal at the Bell Centre. Claire Hanna has more on the 'surreal and emotional' atmosphere and the incredible ovation given to Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin.

[@fraterseamus]

Great to see this, good for the sport and for Canadians all around.

[@millerfulton5289]

This league is the best woman’s sport and I am so proud of these women and who ever has helped make it possible. Gives my daughter something to fight for and strive for. Love it keep it up and let these crowds grow. I watch on TH-cam and the play on the ice is on par with the NHL. PWHL love y’all

[@sturmgesutz]

Agreed, it is the best league in all of womens sport. and its only going to grow stronger. also the pwhl have listened to the players and incorporated some aspects that the players wanted. all in all a brilliant product, professionally run.

[@millerfulton5289]

@@sturmgesutz hockey is just the best sport for kids to help grow confidence. I am and had been a baseball lover. But watching my kids start their hockey career and what the NHL teams I see do for their community and kids is unmatched.

[@celinel9750]

Poulin deserved that standing ovation, and I know that she is sharing it with all the other women on the ice and off the ice, who paved the way and came befor her, becoz she is like that, never take it for herself... a real leader, a real star.

[@audrey3155]

wow, i'm stunned. that crowd is gorgeous. so awesome to see that type of support for such a deserving league

[@christhornycroft3686]

Hopefully now people will realize just how good women’s hockey is. We’ve seen the Canadian women’s hockey team play some great international hockey, but now we’re seeing that the pool of talent on the ladies’ side is pretty deep. This should have happened years ago, but at least we got here. There’s still a ways to go, but hopefully it keeps trending in the right direction. We’re getting more and more household names in women’s hockey and some are now broadcasters who can grow the game. This isn’t tokenism. They’re really good. My grandpa was very old school and pretty sexist like a lot of my family, but he loved women’s softball. He’d drive for 90 minutes to watch them play. So nothing is impossible. If they could win him over, in a country in love with hockey, women should have a chance to show what they can do.

[@xdrstevox7805]

Cant even express how happy I am to see all these women get the recognition they deserve. And this league is blowing up, they're all going to get paid like superstars too. *LONG* overdue.

[@Statsy10]

Congrats to all these ladies. The league is thriving! Oh, and MPP is an absolute legend!

[@audrey3155]

absolutely incredible

[@ethimself5064]

Full house👍👍

[@jimbodangle178]

Why not just have these pwhl teams associate to the nhl teams and share barns and facilities…seems like a no brainer.
Ps: they would remain independent tho, kinda like an ahl/nhl hybrid

[@CareyBeryl]

5580 Prosacco Path

[@ClarenceConrad]

6602 Alexa Summit

[@ConradWiktor-x8y]

Ocie Bypass

[@onemotherpucker]

Women need to step up and spend the money if they want it to be equal to men's hockey financially.

[@annc1159]

What women? The players?

[@Whitewolf1827]

You guys mix up sports the pwhl has never fought for pay equality nore will they ever do its the wnba that does that

[@TheresaDuke-z7z]

6666 Nikolaus Alley

[@josephhead834]

Who 😅

[@4inchesofpleasure]

MPP is GOATED