Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke was on hand to fire up the crowd for the first professional women’s hockey game played in B.C. in more than 15 years.
Rourke was in attendance with his wife, Emily, for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Takeover Tour in Vancouver on Wednesday. The 26-year-old was invited to crank the siren prior to puck drop on the neutral site game, leading the cheer for the sellout crowd of 19,038 fans at Rogers Arena.
Nathan Rourke of the @BCLions gets things LOUD here in Vancouver! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/cEhDZYSvhK
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) January 9, 2025
The B.C. Lions’ star quarterback was one of several prominent sports figures in attendance at the game, including Vancouver Canucks’ assistant general manager Émilie Castonguay, Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato, Vancouver Whitecaps’ captain Ryan Gauld, and Rugby Canada head coach Jocelyn Barrieau. A ceremonial puck drop was performed by 2024 Olympic rugby silver medallist Piper Logan and Shannon Woeller of the Northern Super League’s Vancouver Rise.
Rourke has appeared in 27 career CFL games over three seasons with the Lions, throwing for 5,884 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions while rushing for 628 yards and 17 majors. In 2022, he became the first quarterback to be named the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian since 1980 despite missing half the season with a Lisfranc sprain.
The Victoria, B.C.-born pivot returned to Canada in 2024 following a one-year stint in the NFL that featured stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons. He is scheduled to be the CFL’s highest-paid player next season.
Prior to his professional career, the native of Oakville, Ont. played collegiately at Ohio University and twice took home the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian player in the NCAA.
The PWHL, which launched in 2023, features six teams across Eastern Canada and the United States. Vancouver was a stop on the league’s nine-city Takeover Tour, meant to expose new markets to professional women’s hockey and evaluate locations for possible expansion.
The Montréal Victoire defeated the Toronto Sceptres by a score of 4-2 thanks to a pair of goals from Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
