The Professional Women’s Hockey League is rolling out its annual PWHL Takeover Tour with a marquee Montréal–Toronto matchup in Halifax, Nova Scotia. More than a showcase, this year’s tour is widely viewed as a preview of the league’s next major expansion phase. The PWHL will test fan interest and arena viability in Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, Washington, D.C., and Winnipeg, along with return visits to Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, and Québec City. Each market will host two games, giving PWHL owner Mark Walter and league executives a firsthand look at potential new homes.

Last season’s tour proved the model works. During the 2024–2025 Takeover Tour, the league drew impressive crowds in Seattle and Vancouver — momentum that ultimately earned both cities expansion franchises last April. With that success as a blueprint, the PWHL is now positioning itself for another round of growth.

A League on the Rise — With One Major Concern

Now in its third season, the PWHL continues to outperform previous women’s hockey ventures. The league currently features franchises in Boston, Montréal, Newark, Ottawa, St. Paul, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. Plans are already in motion to expand to 12 teams, and PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer has made it clear that the league is accelerating its growth strategy.

“We added Vancouver and Seattle this year, two teams. We’re going to expand at least 2–4 teams next year. We are in growth mode and this league is exploding,” Scheer said.

But amid the momentum, Ottawa has emerged as a potential trouble spot. A proposed arena renovation would reduce seating capacity by roughly 3,000 seats, bringing the venue down to 5,500 — a number the PWHL believes is too small to sustain the team’s fan base or long‑term financial health. The league has also expressed reluctance to relocate the franchise to the NHL Senators’ arena in suburban Kanata, a venue far from Ottawa’s downtown core.

With Senators ownership pursuing a new downtown arena, the PWHL is watching closely. If the current plan moves forward and the seating reduction becomes permanent, the league may be forced to consider relocating the Ottawa franchise.

PWHL Takeover Tour Could Shape Ottawa’s Future

The Takeover Tour may ultimately provide the PWHL with alternatives should the Ottawa arena issue remain unresolved. With multiple cities eager to join the league — and several already demonstrating strong attendance during previous tour stops — the PWHL will have no shortage of options.

As the tour unfolds, the league’s expansion roadmap will become clearer. What’s certain is that the PWHL is growing quickly, its fan base is expanding, and its next round of decisions could reshape the landscape of women’s professional hockey.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

Ottawa

By: Matthew Weatherby

Alabama and Oklahoma are set to square off on Friday night in Norman to kick off the 2025-26 edition of the College Football Playoffs.

Both of these teams enter the playoffs with more questions than answers. But, for both sides, those questions stem from injury problems that have plagued both teams in the latter half of this season. For Alabama, though, one question has been resolved, and that is whether Kalen Deboer will still be their coach for the future. While Kalen recommitted himself to the Tide on Sunday, that will do them no good in terms of the true key on Friday, who makes it off the injury report.

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Injuries

For Alabama, they are just hoping to get some guys back on offense. Jam Miller, Josh Cuevas, and Kam Dewberry all missed the SEC Championship. A game where Alabama’s offense was only able to score 7 points and put up a total of -3 rushing yards against Georgia. Getting some continuity back on the offensive side of the football for Alabama is going to be necessary against an Oklahoma defense that ranked first in the SEC in total defense this year. Alabama is also hopeful to get standout D-lineman LT Overton back from injury after he missed the SEC title game. (It must also be noted that there is a RUMOR going around regarding a potential Ty Simpson injury that he has been dealing with over the last couple of weeks)

On Oklahoma’s side of things, they hope to get R. Mason Thomas back from injury. Prior to his injury against Tennessee, Thomas had totaled 6.5 sacks over 8 games, along with 2 forced fumbles. His play over 8 games was good enough for him to be voted to the All-SEC First Team Defense.

I do have one more thing on Oklahoma’s injuries. What about John Mateer? After his hand injury against Auburn, the Oklahoma offense has appeared handicapped. Mateer has only thrown for more than 225 yards in a game once since the injury, and that was their regular-season finale against LSU, where he also threw 3 interceptions. But I have a theory regarding Mateer’s health. His hand needed time to heal after the surgery, and that was something he was’t really afforded. The amount of time needed for the hand to heal was supposed to be a couple of weeks. The Sooners will have had 3 weeks off between games come Friday night. Was this the amount of time needed for Mateer’s hand to heal?

On the field

I talked about those Alabama injuries earlier, and they are important because the version of Alabama’s offense everyone saw in Atlanta will not be enough if it shows up in Norman, Oklahoma, on Friday night. The pieces that they hope to get back should lead to that. Jam Miller is a much more well rounded Running Back than the guys sitting behind him. But where his value lies is in his pass protection. It was something that Alabama struggled with in the SEC Championship. In addition, Josh Cuevas and Kam Dewberry will also be helpful in protecting Ty Simpson. Cuevas’s being back will have a big impact on Alabama in 3rd down situations. He was Ty Simpson’s safety blanket all year.

Bama’s offense will be in better shape health-wise, but will it be enough? All outside factors have shifted away from Alabama in this game. They will not have had the same amount of rest that Oklahoma has had. Maybe that is a good or bad thing; you never really know when it comes to longer rest for teams, but when you look at Alabama’s injury report, you would assume that fairs better for the Sooners. Not to mention, Oklahoma will be playing at home. A place where they beat the Crimson Tide 24-3 last season. For Alabama even if they get those guys back to full health will it matter?

Oklahoma’s defense, by metrics, is better than Georgia’s. People also seem to forget that, prior to Alabama losing those guys on offense to injury, they still were not a particularly efficient or effective running team. They also have not been able to stretch the ball downfield very much this year. That is an area where you need Ryan Williams to step up. He has not been the same guy that he was last year. And without the threat of explosives, the Alabama offense will then be tasked with driving the ball down the field consistently against this Oklahoma defense. When you’re asked to do that without a consistent running game, your margin for error is razor-thin.

Why Oklahoma could Roll

If Oklahoma’s offense finds itself after the break, I do not think that this game will be particularly close. People talk about Alabama’s issues after their injuries, but they were always present for Alabama. The injuries they suffered just exposed them to a greater extent. For Oklahoma, John Mateer was heisman candidate prior to his injury. All you need from Mateer and this offense on Friday is 2-3 good drives. 17 points could be enough to win this game for Oklahoma.

This game will obviously be about the defenses, but I believe that Oklahoma’s offense has a higher ceiling than Alabama’s coming out of the break. As for Bama, this is a game where they have to win the margins. Something they did not do against Oklahoma earlier in the year, or the last time we saw them against Georgia. If Alabama were to win this game, it would be because it also won the turnover battle, time of possession, and average starting field position.

Prediction + Betting/Analytics

Prediction: Oklahoma

Spread: Alabama -1.5

According to ESPN Analytics, Alabama has a 50.9% chance to win on Friday.

After a Thursday night loss to the Falcons that dropped the out of first place in the NFC South they got some good news Sunday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reclaimed first place in the NFC South after a dramatic turn of events. Thanks to the New Orleans Saints’ last-second rally to defeat the Carolina Panthers 17-16, Tampa Bay moved back into the division lead at 7-7 with three weeks left in the regular season. The Saints’ upset win not only spoiled Carolina’s momentum but also reshuffled the playoff picture, giving the Buccaneers renewed control of their destiny.

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Saints Stun Panthers in Last-Minute Thriller

Sunday’s clash at the Caesars Superdome was a showcase of resilience by New Orleans. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough engineered two late scoring drives, capped by kicker Charlie Smyth’s 47-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining. The Panthers, who had led most of the afternoon, were undone by costly penalties—11 flags for 103 yards—and a sputtering rushing attack that managed only 127 yards. Wide receiver Chris Olave came alive in the fourth quarter, hauling in four catches for 78 yards, including a 12-yard grab that tied for a score. Carolina’s miscues opened the door for the Saints, who completed the season sweep of their division rival and knocked the Panthers into a tie with Tampa Bay.

Buccaneers Control Their Own Fate

For Tampa Bay, the Saints’ victory was a lifeline. Despite dropping five of their last six games, the Buccaneers now sit atop the NFC South with a chance to secure a fifth straight division crown. The path forward is clear: win the remaining divisional matchups. Tampa Bay travels to Charlotte next Sunday to face the Panthers in a pivotal Week 16 showdown. They then host the Miami Dolphins before closing the season against Carolina once more1. With the Falcons and Saints effectively eliminated from contention, the division race boils down to Tampa Bay and Carolina. If the Buccaneers can steady their form, they will not only clinch the South but also lock in a playoff berth. The stakes are high, but the opportunity is theirs to seize.