“Victoire bows out”, “Victoire wins”, “A third victory in a row for Victoire”… So many phrases that everyone thought of when they learned of the new name of the Montreal team on Monday. Marie-Philip Poulin is not worried about that.
“It’s something new for all of us. Yes, we may have to find synonyms, we are all aware of that,” the captain said in a virtual press conference held by the League, an hour after the unveiling of the names and logos of its six teams.
“For us, it’s a state of mind,” she continued. “Whatever the team name, everyone wants to win, to have the victory. Yes, it’s on our jersey. Ultimately, it will be our inspiration, our motivation. We’re super excited to be behind this new logo that will represent the great city of Montreal and the team from the province of Quebec.”
Poulin, who says he “loves” the name and logo, is pleased that the League did its research and made sure to choose a French name.
PHOTO FROM MONTREAL VICTORY ACCOUNT X
“In Quebec, French is very important. To say ‘Victoire’ in both languages… I think they did their research and it’s important.”
“Whether it’s in English or French, people are going to see that we’re one. We’re all in this together. There’s no separation. We’re all working for this logo, for this name. At the end of the day, the city, the province, will come together behind our team.”
With a name like Victoire, will the team have more pressure to win? The question arises. And Poulin answers:
“I think you can look at it in a number of ways. […] It’s going to be a mindset. Whether you’re wearing an Ottawa Charge jersey, a Toronto Sceptres jersey… every team wants to win, whether it’s written or not.”
General excitement
PHOTO BEN MARGOT, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Kendall Coyne-Schofield of the Minnesota Frost
The captains of the six teams on the circuit met the media virtually on Monday morning. They all wore t-shirts with the new names and logos of their respective teams. And they were unanimously happy to finally know the identity of their team.
“This is a historic day in the history of the LPHF, in the history of hockey and in the history of the sport,” said Kendall Coyne-Schofield of the Minnesota Frost.
“When you’re rooting for someone or something, it’s nice to be able to name it,” recalled Hilary Knight of the Boston Fleet with a smile. “We weren’t necessarily involved in the process, but I think [les gens de la Ligue ont] did a great job.”
Creating clear identities was a “logical next step” for the league, said Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner. While the league enjoyed a lot of success despite having no names last year, it will be interesting to see how fans take to the new look.
“These names, logos and colours represent much more than just our team. They represent our cities, our fans and all the support we received during our first season,” said Blayre Turnbull of the Toronto Sceptres.
“I hope everyone feels that way and that everyone is excited to support the league going forward, now that we have names and logos.”