The growth of women’s hockey is experiencing another major push within the Premier Hockey Federation.
The women’s professional hockey circuit unveiled its expansion plans today, as a seventh team, based in Montreal, will be added for the 2022-23 season.
Until now, the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) consisted of six teams, namely the Connecticut Whale, the Toronto Six, the Boston Pride, the Metropolitan Riveters, the Minnesota Whitecaps and the Buffalo Beauts. .
The leadership of the new Montreal organization includes President Kevin Raphaël and Vice President Emmanuel Anderson. It also provides for a partnership agreement for the next season with the Center 21.02, a high performance hockey center directed by Danièle Sauvageau.
The official Montreal team name and logo will be announced over the coming weeks, along with announcements of the team’s first coaching staff and roster, as player signings begin. .
“This is a very exciting time for the PHF and the growth of professional women’s hockey,” said PHF Commissioner Reagan Carey. The city of Montreal and the province of Quebec have a rich hockey history of which the PHF is proud to be an official part. Along with their community pride and passion for the sport, the leadership of Danièle, Kevin and Emmanuel provides a trio of hockey, business and promotional experience that will have an immediate and lasting impact. »
Raphaël is no stranger to women’s hockey and has been a longtime ambassador for the sport across the province. He regularly uses his platform to raise awareness of the sport and its athletes, including producing a three-part documentary series in 2020 called “Gap Year”, which examined the state of women’s hockey.
Raphael has been Anderson’s business partner for over a decade, collaborating on numerous projects in sports, entertainment and philanthropy. Most notably, their annual charity hockey game known as the “KR Classic” features NHL players, female hockey stars and Quebec personalities raising funds to support childhood cancer foundations.
“Professional women’s hockey is back in Montreal, and Emmanuel and I are very happy to work with the PHF to help develop women’s sport throughout the province of Quebec,” said Raphaël. We look forward to building a team with strong community partnerships and talented players who are ready to make a real difference on and off the ice. This is just the start of what is going to be a very special season for everyone. »
The city’s professional women’s hockey history includes the Montreal Stars, founded in 2007 and renamed the Montreal Canadiens in 2015. They competed in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and won a record four Clarkson Cups, between 2009 and 2019.
In December 2015, Les Canadiennes and Pride made history when they played in the first outdoor women’s game as part of the NHL Winter Classic festivities. This is the third time the PHF has grown since the league’s inception in 2015.
“Expansion is an important part of the PHF’s commitment to growing the sport by providing greater opportunities for more female professional players to develop and compete, while inspiring the next generation to pursue their own dreams in sports, Carey said.
“Introducing a new team to the PHF in 2022-23 will help us build a strong and sustainable future, one step at a time. We will continue to evaluate further expansion opportunities in North America beyond next season. »
The schedule for the 2022-23 PHF season has not yet been released. Specific details regarding Montreal home games and venues are to be determined at a later date.