Get to know Sarah Nurse, one of the PWHL stars joining Vancouver's new team this fall

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 07, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Vancouver's inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League squad has already signed immoderate large names: this week, the squad signed Surrey's Jenn Gardiner, all-star defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and all-around hockey fable Sarah Nurse. 

Nurse has 2 Olympic medals nether her belt: a metallic successful 2018 and a golden from the 2020 Tokyo Games. 

She's been with the Toronto Sceptres since the PWHL launched successful 2023, arsenic 1 of the team's archetypal 3 signings. During the inaugural season, she tied for 2nd successful league scoring with 23 points successful 24 games and was voted a Second Team All-Star. 

Vancouverites saw her play this past play astatine the sold-out PWHL crippled astatine Rogers Arena successful January, wherever the Montreal Victoire bushed the Sceptres 4-2.

This week, she signed a one-year declaration with PWHL Vancouver.

"It's similar a whirlwind," she said. "I americium truthful excited to beryllium capable to play nonrecreational hockey successful Vancouver. I deliberation it's truly the accidental of a lifetime, and being present successful January, I saw the passion, I saw the zest, I saw the excitement for women's hockey. If the fans could amusement up for a Toronto and Montreal team, I can't adjacent ideate however astonishing it's gonna beryllium for their ain hometown team."

Nurse joined Amy Bell connected CBC's On The Coast for an interrogation pursuing the announcement. 

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity. 

Did this determination to Vancouver travel arsenic a astonishment for you?

A small bit. With the enlargement draught and the rules and however everything was going to shingle out, I knew it was a anticipation that I would beryllium near unprotected by Toronto. I knew that if I went to an enlargement team, Vancouver was my target. After talking to Cara Gardner Morey from Vancouver, I couldn't beryllium much excited due to the fact that I conscionable cognize that it's the close acceptable for me.

What has playing for the Sceptres been like? 

I deliberation from time one, erstwhile this league started, I was blown distant by the enactment everywhere. Toronto embraced america with everything that they have. We were the archetypal nonrecreational women's sports squad successful Toronto. Now, we've been joined by the NSL shot squad and besides the WNBA squad that's coming. There's truthful galore hockey fans, there's truthful galore young hockey players who are coming up wrong the Greater Toronto Area. They're perfectly incredible, and I'm truthful grateful for their support.

How important was it for a caller Vancouver squad to motion a high-profile sanction similar yours?

I was evidently precise honoured to beryllium successful information to beryllium brought to Vancouver. I instrumentality a batch of pridefulness successful what I bash disconnected of the crystal and my interaction successful the assemblage connected the fans and the supporters. 

But I think, ultimately, my biggest extremity is to marque a splash and marque an interaction connected the ice. I privation to beryllium the champion imaginable subordinate that I tin beryllium for this enactment and truly enactment my champion ft guardant due to the fact that I cognize that I person a batch of skills and abilities that I deliberation are going to beryllium large connected this team.

What benignant of relation bash you deliberation you're going to beryllium capable to play with this caller team?

I person precise precocious expectations of myself. I decidedly privation to beryllium a person connected and disconnected of the ice.

I deliberation with the different girls and Sophie and Claire, they're beauteous locked down connected the backmost end. They're 2 very, precise world-class defencemen. And past Emerance successful net, an implicit ceramic wall. I deliberation she's been astir apt the champion goalie successful the PWHL for the past 2 years. Jenn Gardiner, who's young, new, caller endowment who has truthful overmuch potential, and it's going to beryllium large to spot her blossom and grow.

You battled a semipermanent wounded this past season. How are you feeling arsenic you get prepared to deed the crystal successful Vancouver this fall?

I'm feeling truthful optimistic. I'm excited to person immoderate clip to really afloat rehab my genu and beryllium capable to beryllium the implicit champion that I tin beryllium erstwhile November comes. I'm excited to enactment successful the work. I deliberation I'm going to get connected the crystal adjacent week, which I'm actually itching to do, particularly with the quality and signing successful Vancouver. I privation the play to commencement now.

Off the ice, your contributions are conscionable arsenic huge. You hosted Nursey Nights successful Toronto to supply assemblage groups tickets to the Sceptre games. You helped recovered the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and are besides a portion of the PWHL players' union. And you're an advocator against racism successful hockey. What bash you anticipation to proceed present successful Vancouver?

All of the above. I truly person a passionateness for making this athletics arsenic inclusive arsenic imaginable and making definite that our athletics represents the cloth of our nation. I deliberation that we are specified a diverse, multicultural society, and I deliberation that our experiences should truly bespeak that successful our game. I'm truthful encouraged to travel to Vancouver and proceed the work. 

I'm excited to bring Nursey Nights to Vancouver. We've been able, we brought 200 girls implicit this past twelvemonth into Toronto Sceptres games, and truthful I'm looking to bash thing precise akin successful Vancouver. I deliberation there's truthful galore large assemblage initiatives that our squad tin beryllium a portion of, and that's thing that's a passionateness for each of us. 

Your cousin, Darnell Nurse, plays for the Edmonton Oilers, who are presently battling it retired for the Stanley Cup. How breathtaking is it to spot him and the Oilers successful the finals again?

I could not beryllium much arrogant of that boy. He has gone done truthful much, that squad has gone done truthful overmuch and honestly, they are perfectly rolling close now. So I'm precise hopeful and I cognize they're going to person a antithetic effect than they had past year. They've been connected the stage. They cognize however large it is, and they've been perfectly rolling. So I'm truthful arrogant of him.