Sarah Nurse ready to make waves with new PWHL team in Vancouver
Article content
The Hamilton hockey player was unaccustomed to being just a few feet away from ocean waters, with no rails or safety barriers in sight.
Article content
Article content
But it didn't take long for the best-known player on the roster of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team to find her footing.
Article content
Within half an hour, Canada's most valuable player in the 2022 Olympic women's hockey tournament in Beijing had her hands on the vessel's wheel — steering the rainbow-hued commuter ferry through the busy waters of False Creek during a Friday sightseeing tour ahead of a holiday weekend.
Article content
Nurse has never been shy about navigating uncharted waters.
Article content
In 2023, she became the first female player ever to grace the cover of EA Sports' NHL video game.
Article content
Then, as one of five members of the executive board of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, she helped draft the PWHL's first collective bargaining agreement and bring the league to life.
Article content
Now, after just two years, the PWHL has expanded to eight teams and stretched its footprint west with new franchises in Vancouver and Seattle.
Article content
After she was left unprotected by the Toronto Sceptres in June's expansion draft, Nurse made the decision to become a part of another new thing and signed a one-year contract as a free agent.
Article content
Article content
'The opportunity for me to be able to help start an expansion franchise in a market that really has never had women's hockey before was really cool for me,' Nurse said. 'I haven't spent a lot of time in the city, but I've always admired it from afar. I don't know why I said this, but I was like, 'If I don't live in Toronto, I think Vancouver would be the place that I lived in.' So, unintentionally manifested this, I guess.'
Article content
The roster-building process for the PWHL's expansion squads was designed to preserve the league's strong parity.
Article content
When the dust settled, Vancouver's roster included Nurse's Olympic teammates Emerance Maschmeyer and Claire Thompson, former Toronto teammates Izzy Daniel and North Vancouver's Hannah Miller, and Finnish hockey legend Michelle Karvinen.
Article content
Brian Idalski, whose long history in the women's game includes coaching Miller, Karvinen and Vancouver forward Michela Cava in the Russian women's league, will be behind the bench.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
41 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canadian women to face Japan in Nagasaki in FIFA November international window
Canada's Holly Ward (27) and Ashley Lawrence compete for a header during first half international women's friendly soccer action against Costa Rica in Toronto, on Friday June 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young The Canadian women's soccer team will play two matches against Japan in Nagasaki during the November FIFA international window. Canada, ranked ninth in the world, will face No. 8 Japan on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. The first game will take place at Nagasaki Stadium City (Peace Stadium) and the second at Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki in nearby Isahaya. 'We're excited for the opportunity to face Japan,' Canada coach Casey Stoney said in a statement. 'These are the kind of challenges we want as we build toward our 2026 World Cup qualification journey. 'Japan is one of the most technically gifted and tactically disciplined teams in the world, and playing them on their home soil will demand the best from us. We're looking forward to the opportunity and the lessons it will bring.' Japan holds an 8-4-4 edge in the all-time series between the two that dates back to 1995. Canada is winless in the last three meetings (0-2-1), blanked 3-0 the last time they met, at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup. Canada's last victory was a 2-0 decision at the 2018 Algarve Cup. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2025. The Canadian Press
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Archery Association of India announces first edition of Archery League
New Delhi [India], August 4 (ANI): The Archery Association of India (AAI) today announced the first-of-its-kind Archery League, a path-breaking global initiative, bringing together men and women recurve and compound archers from India and the world, who will be competing in an intense franchise-styled tournament. The league aims to enhance the growth of Indian archers to support the nation's Olympic movement and to enhance the global popularity of the sport. It aims to be a professional platform that strengthens the overall archery ecosystem across India and the world. The league will feature foreign archers from among the world's top 10, along with top Indian archers who will all be representing six franchise teams, as per a press release from AAI. The tournament will offer a chance to Indian archers to gain exposure in a high-pressure environment, competing with international archers, thus advancing their growth. With a unique team set-up never-seen-before in world archery, recurve & compound archers shooting 70mtrs & 50mtrs respectively together under lights, the league will boost the confidence of Indian archers and raise their performance level. President, Archery Association of India, Arjun Munda, said as quoted by the press release, 'The dream envisioned by us is the dream that has lived for many years in every young archer residing across villages of India. They have been hoping to get an opportunity to showcase their skills on the biggest stage. We are confident that with the help of the Archery League, we will be able to fulfil these dreams and provide more opportunities. Let us all join hands to launch this league for archery so that we can take the sport to the next level in the country.' 'Indian archers have consistently brought pride to the nation with their remarkable performances on the international stage. Their continued success is a testament to their talent, hard work, and the growing standard of Indian archery. Inspired by the transformative impact of leagues in other sports, we have introduced, Archery league, a platform with a highly competitive, greater visibility and bringing the professional standards, to prepare our archers for the ultimate stage, the Olympics. This is more than just a league, it's a stepping stone toward India's Olympic dream,' the Secretary General, Archery Association of India, Virendra Sachdeva, said. Secretary General, World Archery, Tom Dielen said, 'I am very pleased with this initiative because it will add to the impact of our sport and create an atmosphere of competitive spirit for Indian archers as well as other archers coming from outside of India to enhance their performance and become even better archers in future.' The inaugural edition of the league is expected to take place over a 11-day period in October this year at the Yamuna Sports Complex, New Delhi. The Archery League has received encouragement from World Archery, World Archery Asia and the Sports Ministry of India. (ANI)
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
Carson Binda: Canadian taxpayers on hook for FIFA tournament expenses
You'd better be prepared to pony up when FIFA comes to Vancouver and Toronto next summer for the World Cup, because it's leaving taxpayers with a massive bill. Article content FIFA is bringing the 2026 Men's World Cup to Canada, the United States and Mexico. Article content Article content Of the 104 games that will make up the tournament, 13 will be played in Canada. Vancouver is set to host seven, with the remaining six Canadian games slated for Toronto. Article content Article content Article content Taxpayers may be on the hook for more than a billion dollars. Article content The Vancouver leg of the tournament could set taxpayers back up to $624 million, while in Toronto, the costs are pegged at up to $380 million. Article content Even after factoring in projected revenues, Vancouver's games are expected to come at a net cost to the taxpayer of $85-$145 million, according to the B.C. Government's own generous projections. Ontario hasn't been transparent enough with taxpayers to provide those kinds of net cost breakdowns. Article content And even if you don't live in British Columbia or Ontario, your tax dollars are still bankrolling the tournament. Article content The federal government is also getting in on the action, subsidizing the games to the tune of $220 million. Article content The federal government is giving Vancouver $116 million to help pay for the tournament. It's also shelling out over $104 million to Toronto to offset costs for things like fan festivals and police motorcades for FIFA delegations. Article content Article content All three levels of government are spending money on these soccer games. The federal government is giving cash to the municipalities as a grant. Most of the provincial money is being spent on provincial services for the games, like stadium renovations in B.C. and provincial police officers in Ontario. Article content Article content Here's the real kicker: most British Columbia and Ontario taxpayers don't even want to host the World Cup. Article content How the money going to these games is being spent should raise eyebrows. FIFA bigwigs are demanding preferential treatment, funded by taxpayers. Article content FIFA's contract with Vancouver demands the 'VIP/VVIP,' treatment from taxpayers, for any 'individuals nominated by FIFA.' Those very and very, very important people will be met at the gate and taken to 'special' immigration, customs and security screening points. They will have access to exclusive waiting rooms, special luggage collection and even VIP parking, according to the contracts signed with Vancouver and Toronto.
