The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) announced Tuesday morning the creation of a professional women’s hockey franchise in Montreal, which will be integrated from the 2022-2023 season.
Posted at 8:09
The new franchise, the seventh on the circuit, will be chaired by Kevin Raphaël, whose involvement in women’s hockey is well known. He will be accompanied by Emmanuel Anderson as vice-president.
A two-year agreement was also signed with the 21.02 High Performance Center, the only recognized center for female athletes in Canada, which is led by Danièle Sauvageau. It will serve as the main training center for the new organization, we know in a press release.
However, the games will take place in different communities across Quebec “to help raise the profile of the PHF and introduce professional women’s hockey to a wider audience,” it says.
“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,” said Commissioner Reagan Carey. The community pride, passion for the game and leadership of Danièle, Kevin and Emmanuel provide a trifecta of hockey, business and promotional experience that will have an immediate and lasting impact. »
Mme Carey adds that the introduction of a Montreal team “will help build a strong and sustainable future, one step at a time.” Remember that the League has been shunned by the best players in the world for several years because of a business model deemed unsatisfactory. Low standards in terms of wages and working conditions are among their grievances.
The name and logo of the new franchise will be unveiled in the coming weeks, as will the coaching staff and roster. The signing of players has also begun.
“We look forward to building a team with strong community partnerships and talented athletes who are ready to make a real difference on and off the ice. This is just the beginning of what is going to be a very special season for everyone,” said the president, Kevin Raphaël.
Remember that the PHF, created in 2015, already has six teams. These are located in Boston, Toronto, Monmouth Junction (New Jersey), St. Paul (Minnesota), Danbury (Connecticut) and Buffalo. The Federation had announced last January that a team would see the light of day in Montreal, but that the details would be revealed “at a later date”. That’s done.
The 2022-23 regular season schedule is not yet known.