Local businesses are rallying behind the Ottawa Charge as the women’s hockey team competes in its third playoff game tonight at Lansdowne Park.
This includes Lowertown Brewery on York Street, which, last month, made space in its back parking lot for the “Sens Lot,” an outdoor viewing area for fans to watch the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs.
The brewery’s assistant general manager, Kay Hak, said it wasn’t fair that the brewery only cheered on male sports teams.
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“I said to the owners, ‘Look, we have to do this for the women. It’s a great opportunity. The city needs to rally behind them the same way that we rallied behind the men. It’s just justice at this point,” she said.
The Charge’s executive team showed up at the brewery to support both the team and Hak during the first playoff game last Thursday. During Game 2 on Sunday, the game went into four overtime periods, marking the longest PWHL game in history at nearly five hours from puck drop to the final buzzer.
“It was a nail-biter,” Hak said, admitting she stayed an extra three hours to see how things ended.
As the Ottawa Charge get ready to face the Montreal Victoire in Game 3 of the series that is tied at one win apiece, Hak said she’s expecting about 100 people to fill the back of the restaurant.
“We’re looking for more and more turnout. It keeps growing. The energy is crazy. Every single time they get the puck and start rushing, the crowd yells, ‘Charge!’ together,” Hak said.
If the crowd keeps growing, Hak said the party will have to move to the restaurant’s second floor.
Over on Bank Street – or Charge Avenue for the time being, from Sunnyside to First avenues – Darrell Cox, executive director of the Glebe BIA, said games for both the Ottawa Charge and the Ottawa Rapid FC have helped increase visibility for area businesses, especially in mid-week.
“It’s an inspiration for young girls and young women just to see that this is where they can get to and from the BIA perspective … you’ve got the foot traffic coming in that you might not have normally had. It’s the eyes and visibility on your store that is important because it’s a marketing opportunity that you’re not paying for,” he said.
He said pubs and restaurants were full before, during and after each of the regular season games with Lansdowne Park acting as a “huge contributor to the success of the Glebe.”
Michael Estabrooks, owner of Irene’s Pub, said the Charge’s loyal fan base means good business before and after the games.
“We are looking forward to an uptick in business. We’re finding that the Charge is probably the second-best attendance for the fan base for going out before the game. The Redblacks draw the biggest crowds, followed by the Charge,” he said.
Though the pub is more geared toward music-lovers than sports enthusiasts, Estabrooks said he will still have the games playing.
“It’s exciting hockey. (I was) chatting with fans, upper middle-aged men who watch the NHL, they have been shocked at the quality and physicality of the sport. We’re super excited for more events down the street and more women-driven events,” he said.
In the city’s east end, Broadhead Brewing Co. is seeing increased interest in its Ottawa Wheat 26, its collaboration beer with Charge forward Emily Clark.
Launched in March, part of the beer’s proceeds benefit The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and its Breast Health Centre. Jamie White, co-founder and CEO of Broadhead, said the demand for the beer has been high since it launched.
“I’ll say it was a little bit overwhelming with all the people reaching out to us. Some were out of province, which we couldn’t sell at the time, and across the nation. We didn’t have enough supply, so we got it brewed and back in tanks and relaunched and it’s been selling ever since,” White said.
Orders continued to pour in once the Charge made the playoffs, White said, and he made the first $1,000 donation to The Ottawa Hospital last week.
“As long as Emily’s in the city playing for the Charge, we’ll keep making this beer for her and supporting this great cause,” White said.
White said the beer is available at the Vimont Court brewery in Orléans, which will be televising the game, as well as at Craft Beer Market at TD Place and other locations around the city.
