Hockey fans rejoice, there will once again be a second Montreal hockey team to cheer for! The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF – formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League) announced the introduction of a seventh franchise, right here in Montreal. This will be the second Canadian team in the PHF after the Toronto Six, established for the 2020-21 season.
The new organization, the first women's team in Montreal since the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) will be led by Kevin Raphaël and Emmanuel Anderson.
The Centre 21.02 located at the recently renovated Verdun Auditorium will serve as the main training grounds for the new team.
Its president, Danièle Sauvageau, notably led Canada’s National Women's Team to win its first Olympic gold medal in 2002.
\u201cThe Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) today announced details regarding expansion for the 2022-23 season with a seventh franchise to be introduced in Montreal, Quebec.\n\n\ud83d\udc51 | https://t.co/3eot15tVyb\u201d— PHF (@PHF) 1657627640
Centre 21.02, which was founded in 2019, features two rinks and seats 2,500. According to the PHF, it is the first and only recognized High Performance Hockey Center for women athletes in Canada.
"The city of Montreal and province of Quebec have a rich hockey history that the PHF is proud to officially be a part of,” Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner, said in a statement.
"The introduction of one new PHF team in 2022-23 will help us build a solid and sustainable future, one step at a time," she added. "We will continue to evaluate additional expansion opportunities across North America beyond next season."
The team name and logo will be revealed sometime in the next several weeks alongside information about the roster and coaching staff.
The Montreal team will play 2022-23 season home games across Quebec in an effort to boost recognition of the PHF.
