Inadequate excuses and diverted responsiblity - Why the Vancouver Goldeneyes aren't hosting a Black History Celebration

VANCOUVER, BC - When all eight PWHL teams dropped their 2025-26 Unity Games, Theme Nights and Promotions on November 4, fans were quick to note online that seven of the league’s eight teams had a scheduled Black History Celebration on their calendar. 

The Vancouver Goldeneys are the only PWHL team that will not have a specific home game celebrating Black History. The Goldeneyes have two Black women athletes in Sophie Jaques and Sarah Nurse. They are the only PWHL team with two Black players 

The Goldeneyes being the lone PWHL team not to have a game honoring Black History was news to Nurse. 

“I mean I hadn’t heard about that,” Nurse told The Victory Press in Vancouver. “I know that our team has done a great job with other celebrations. It’s unfortunate not having games in February with the Olympic break, but totally understanding that this has been a completely inclusive space. I’d love to see what the league has done this month with those games.”

The PWHL Olympic break fell between January 29 - February 26. Vancouver does not return to the ice until March 1, so they do not have a game scheduled during February’s Black History Month. However, the other teams in the league were not deterred and chose to schedule their Black History Celebration at a different time. 

The New York Sirens will host a Black History Celebration Unity game on February 26 and Ottawa will host their game on February 28.

Toronto will host a Black History Celebration Unity Game on March 8, while Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, and Seattle all hosted their games in January. 

Of note, every team has a Pride Celebration scheduled, despite the fact that the league does not play games in June, during Pride Month. 

If seven teams can work around the Olympic break to host a Black History Celebration Unity Game, why have the Vancouver Goldeneyes missed the net on having their own game? 

“We talked internally about making sure that we could honor that year round,” Tania Richards, PWHL Vancouver’s Director of Business told The Victory Press. 

“We’ve got a few members of this team that are very committed to it. We have elements happening all year around. We work with Black Girls Hockey, which is expanding to Vancouver right now. We have a few initiatives with local members of the community in figuring out other ways of doing it instead of just one singular game during a month that we’re not playing in. That was our logic.”

That year-round logic has shifted the emphasis to specific projects that Jaques and Nurse have helped create, putting the onus on the Black players themselves to do the work. It also removes the celebration and community aspects that are a part of a delegated Unity game. 

Richards’ explanations don’t actually resonate and instead come across as flimsy excuses for the lone team with multiple Black players who were caught out as the only ones in the league not holding a Black History Celebration game.

The individual work of their Black players and a lack of a February game are not good enough reasons for the Goldeneyes to bypass this game on their calendar. 

Empowering girls through Nursey Nights and Sophie’s Sisters

While burden should absolutely not be on them, Jaques and Nurse have both gone above and beyond to be a part of initiatives that celebrate and honor the Black community, while inspiring the next generation of young hockey players. 

Nursey Nights, “a program designed to introduce more young girls to hockey while helping make the game more accessible and inclusive.” Jaques has partnered with Women of Color Hockey Collective (WCHC), a Canadian-based non-profit, to create Sophie’s Sisters. 

The WCHC program is designed to inspire the next generation of young players through mentorship and representation. Sophie’s Sisters invites girls between the ages of 8-10 to select Goldeneyes games for an unforgettable hockey experience. 

The idea for Sophie’s Sisters came about while Jaques was working with Saroya Tinker, Co-Founder and Director of WCHC. Jaques and Tinker had seen firsthand the interest in hockey while working together at summer camps. 

“I was taken by Vancouver in the expansion process,” Jaques said. “We kind of knew that being in Canada, we wanted to extend our organization to the west coast. I think the previous season with the Takeover Tour game in Vancouver, the Women of Colour Hockey Collective previously known as Black Girl Hockey Club Canada had a great turnout with their event and had so much interest in the area. I think we really wanted to build on that and get to know the community. Sophie Sisters is what we came up with and we’ve had great interest so far.”

The first Sophie’s Sisters game took place prior to the Olympic break on January 22. The remaining dates for this season are on March 10, March 14, April 14, April 21, and April 25. 

Moving to an expansion team on the west coast, while getting adjusted to a new city can take time for an athlete to adapt. Even with the Olympics on the calendar, Jaques knew that giving back and launching Sophie’s Sisters was something that she wanted to start. 

“I think it’s really important for me to give back,” Jaques said. “I think that through the PWHL it’s been a great platform for us to all grow as individuals and I think part of my identity is that I want to give back and want to continue to grow the game of hockey to people who might not feel that they necessarily belong in hockey. I think that’s kind of the main goal. To get young girls into the arena with other girls that might look like them and just show them that they do belong in the sport and get to experience their first PWHL game.” 

The Goldeneyes have eight remaining home games at the Pacific Coliseum where there will be more opportunities for Jaques and Nurse to connect with young girls that look up to them. Nursey Nights will continue on March 1 and April 21, with four having already taken place.

(Photo: PWHL/Madeline Davidson)