April 20 will be another big day for women’s hockey. The Montreal team from the Professional Women’s Hockey League will host the Toronto team… at the Bell Centre.
The rumor has been circulating for some time, but now it’s official. The League made the announcement Tuesday morning.
If the ranking remains as it is, that is to say with these two teams in the lead – both teams currently have 30 points – it will be a duel at the top. This is also the title given by the LPHF to this confrontation. And then, whether or not it was a duel at the top, who else could have visited the Bell Center on a Saturday evening than the Toronto team? This will make this evening even more memorable.
However, this will not be a first for these two teams on a National League ice rink. They notably faced each other at the Scotabiank Arena in Toronto on February 16. No less than 19,285 people attended; a North American record for a professional women’s hockey game in the regular season. Before that, the last mark dates back to December 10, 2016, when 5,938 people showed up for the match between the Montreal Canadiennes and the Calgary Inferno at the Bell Centre.
A new record could very well be set on April 20, if the 21,301 seats at the Bell Center are filled. Remember that the home of the Habs is the largest amphitheater in North America.
“This game will go well beyond the rivalry that always accompanies a meeting between professional hockey teams from Montreal and Toronto,” said the LPHF’s senior vice-president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, in a press release. .
Kori Cheverie’s squad, which has already played in front of four of the top five crowds this season, “will have the chance to write a new page in the history of women’s hockey at the Bell Centre,” adds Hefford.
” A little crazy “
Since the start of this inaugural LPHF campaign, the Montreal team has played four of its 17 games at Place Bell, home of the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ school club. Each time, the event was an “incredible success”, says the president of the CH Group, sports and entertainment, France Margaret Bélanger.
” Canadians [de Montréal] have long supported women’s hockey and this is another opportunity for us to collaborate with the LPHF to help grow the sport and highlight the best players in the world. »
The Bell Center will be the sixth National League arena after, among others, the Scotabiank Arena in Toronto, the Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit and the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, to host an LPHF game. This decision is in continuity with the desire of the new circuit to test the different markets.
It’s been a bit crazy since the start of the season, when we seem to sail from first to first and break a record in every match.
Montreal forward Laura Stacey
“It’s always a better experience every time and honestly, sometimes it’s hard to realize how blessed we are to experience these moments. It’s obviously exciting for women’s hockey and for this league to have great moments like these,” added the 9e best scorer on the circuit.
Note that the duel on April 20 will replace the one scheduled for April 21 at the Verdun Auditorium; Ticket holders for this game will be contacted before tickets go on public sale on March 20 at 10 a.m.
With The Canadian Press