Sceptres superstar Sarah Nurse is leaving Toronto for PWHL Vancouver
Let the weeping begin
After two seasons as a star forward and the face of the Toronto Sceptres, Sarah Nurse appears to be heading west to sign with Vancouver’s as-of-yet unnamed new PWHL team. Rumours of her forced defection have been swirling ever since the league announced the addition of two new franchises—Vancouver and Seattle—back in April. The anxious chatter reached a fever pitch on Monday, when the Sceptres opted not to protect Nurse from being snapped up. Now, a report in the Athletic is all but confirming the move.
Related: The stars of the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres on finally having a league of their own
Each of the PWHL’s original six teams were allowed to protect only three players, per some controversial rules that seem to benefit only the new teams. When the Sceptres announced their decision to protect team captain Blayre Turnbull, MVP nominee Renata Fast and rising star Daryl Watts, that pretty much spelled so long, Nursey.
Nurse was second in league-wide goals (11) and points (23) during the inaugural PWHL season. Her second-season performance was plagued by injury and less successful, but her worth is about more than her stats. For two years, her star power has helped solidify a fan base for not just the Sceptres but the PWHL as a whole. See: her epic Nursey Night celebrations that—in collaboration with the Black Girl Hockey Club—helped bring more than 200 girls from underrepresented communities to games; her starring role in an Adidas Super Bowl ad; and her limited-edition hockey Barbie doll.
Related: “I keep my gold medal in my sock drawer”—A Q&A with hockey phenom Sarah Nurse
If we’re trying to glass-half-full this situation, we’d say that expansion was always part of the plan and the business model for the PWHL. The fact that it’s happening just two seasons in reflects just how successful the league has been—it turns out that women’s pro sports aren’t some foolhardy DEI fever dream. And this could be a great opportunity for Nurse, particularly if the rumours that she will be named team captain turn out to be true. The official acquisition deadline is June 9, but we’ll avoid offering false hope since this seems like a done deal.
Nurse has yet to comment on the news, but her latest Instagram story, in which she’s enjoying pasta and patio season at Maxime’s on Portland (while the PWHL universe implodes over the news), feels like a statement in its own right. It’s no surprise that the woman whose motto is “queen energy only” knows how to project cool serenity even in the face of upheaval.
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Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
