Canada’s Mark Carney, Finland’s Alexander Stubb skate with Ottawa Charge
The Ottawa Charge had some company at their practice on Tuesday, welcoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finnish President Alexander Stubb onto the ice at the TD Place Arena.
For Carney, the skate and international outreach came just hours after his Liberal Party secured a majority government through several floor crossings in the House of Commons and three riding wins in federal byelections on Monday.
Stubb, in Canada for his first bilateral meeting with the Canadian prime minister, also joined the sessions after previously running together in London’s Hyde Park in March alongside their partners.
It wasn’t Carney’s first go-around with a professional hockey team, either. Previously, he skated with the Edmonton Oilers in 2025, when he still wore goalie skates, having played goalie at Harvard University in his collegiate days.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney mixed diplomacy with hockey, taking the ice with players from the Ottawa Charge during Stubb’s first formal bilateral visit to Canada
Yet, Monday saw him sporting regular ice skates and pride tape on his stick, as he and Stubb joined in several drills through the session, before a casual shootaround and photo opportunity, both wearing Charge sweaters.
They were great sports, and they did really well on the drills. It was super special,” Charge captain Brianne Jenner told reporters. “I think we can all recognize what’s special about hockey is it unites our communities and brings us all together, and it brought our countries together today.”
It marked Carney’s second time crossing paths with several Charge members, having previously hosted Jenner, Jocelyne Laroque and Emily Clarke on Parliament Hill before the trio left to win silver with Canada at Milan Cortina 2026.
Meanwhile, the visit marked a special occasion for the Charge’s three Finns, including players Ronja Savolainen and Sanni Ahola, along with assistant coach Juuso Toivola.
“It was an honor to meet our president. You never get to do that, so it was actually so cool,” Savolainen told Postmedia. “To have him in our practice and to see him skating and scoring and everything, it was so cool.”
The Charge are in the midst of a heavy race for the final spot in the Walter Cup Playoffs, sitting fourth in the PWHL standings with three games to go, next hitting the ice on Saturday against the New York Sirens.