In Quebec there were the Jofa Titan, the Wingstar, the Axion, the Stars, the Canadiennes and the Force of Montreal, as well as the Mistral of Laval, the Panthères of Sainte-Julie, the Cheyennes of the Métropole and the Avalanche de Québec and the Phénix du Québec, where Nancy Drolet, France St-Louis, Caroline Ouellette, Charline Labonté, Kim St-Pierre and Marie-Philip Poulin electrified leagues since the late 1990s, in which these pioneers sometimes had to pay to participate.
• Also read: [À VOIR] A great day for women's hockey at Auditorium Verdun!
• Also read: Women's hockey: a CH player, married to an Olympic gold medalist
• Also read: [En IMAGES] Canadian players support the LPHF
However, two organizations often existed at the same time, reducing the quality of the product due to lack of funding and the ability to agree on mergers.
For the first time today, the best North American women's hockey players play in the same professional circuit, and Montreal is part of the adventure of the new Professional Women's Hockey League (LPHF).
This came to light last summer after Mark Walter's group, notably co-owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea FC, purchased the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), in which the Force played. In collaboration with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and former tennis legend Billie Jean King, the LPHF was founded.
In just a few months, the league took shape and despite some shortcomings, including missing team names, the season got off to a successful start.
A few hours before the first game in Montreal, on Saturday afternoon, Le Journal presents 12 aspects to better understand the Quebec team and the LPHF.
More Quebecers than CH
Ann-Renée Desbiens tracks the puck with her eyes against Minnesota, Jan. 6, 2024, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Photo Getty Images via AFP
We cannot blame the Director General, Danièle Sauvageau, for not acting on her own interests. Nine Quebecers are part of the Montreal team, including the two reserves Mélodie Daoust and Catherine Dubois. Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Ann-Sophie Bettez, Gabrielle David, Sarah Lefort, Catherine Daoust and Brigitte Laganière are the other players here. We could even add Laura Stacey, who has lived in Montreal for two years. And although her name is French, goalkeeper Marlène Boissonnault is originally from New Brunswick, just like Sarah Bujold. In short, nine Quebecers are more than the four players from La Belle Province du Canadien: Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Mike Matheson, David Savard and Samuel Montembeault.
Mrs. Captain
Who else but Marie-Philip Poulin should wear the “C”? No one would have thought for a second that this honor would go to anyone other than “Pou.” Why shouldn't Team Canada's captain hold the same roles in the LPHF for almost ten years? It was obvious. The 32-year-old star is joined by Stacey, Erin Ambrose and Kristin O'Neill. Desbiens, Bettez and Kati Tabin complete the “leadership group”.
In French, English and Czech!
Czech Republic's Tereza Vanisova defends the colors of Montreal. Photo Getty Images via AFP
Apparently, French and English are the Montreal team's two official languages. Czech can also be heard in the club's environment, as striker Tereza Vanisova and defender Dominika Laskova were born in the Czech Republic. “We wrote a holiday message in English, French and Czech. It was very cool!” said head coach Kori Cheverie, who has been taking French lessons since arriving in Quebec.
A lot of Olympic athletes
Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens helped Canada win gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Archive photo, DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE, JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
There are many Olympic medals in the players' lounges in Montreal. At the top of the list is Poulin with four podiums, including three crowns. Daoust (2 gold, 1 silver), Desbiens (1 gold, 1 silver), Stacey (1 gold, 1 silver) and Ambrose (1 gold) also triumphed with Canada. Vanisova and Laskova represented the Czech Republic at the 2022 Games in Beijing, as did Leah Lum with China. Not to mention Sauvageau, who was an assistant to Nagano (silver) and then head coach in Salt Lake City (gold), and Cheverie, an assistant to Canada at the Beijing Games (gold). Bettez and O'Neill have also already defended the Maple Leaf at the Senior World Championship, as has the American Jillian Dempsey.
The youngest and the oldest
Mariah Keopple (left) fights with Jaime Bourbonnais of New York during the game on Jan. 10, 2024 at UBS Arena in Elmont. Photo Getty Images via AFP
The honor of youngest player in the group goes to American Mariah Keopple. At 23 years, 6 months and 16 days, the defender is ahead of her compatriot Madison Bizal and Ontario-American Claire Dalton, also 23 years old. Keopple finished her college days last season at Princeton, where she scored 15 points in 31 games. Bettez is by far the veteran at 36 years old, having been born the same year as her coach. The three other thirty-somethings on the team are Poulin, Dempsey and Mélodie Daoust, who are all 32 years old. The team's average age is 27.5 years old, ranking it at the top of the LPHF, tied with Toronto, according to eliteprospect.com. The average height and weight of Montreal players is 1.60 m and 75 kg. Stacey, Dubois and Boissonnault are the tallest at 5'10″.
Two former CH
Éric Houde is the assistant to head coach Kori Cheverie. Photo Mylene Richard
The Quebec team can count on two former Canadian players who have thrown themselves into the adventure of women's hockey. GD Sauvageau believes in “mixture” and hires Éric Houde as an assistant teacher. The former forward played 30 games in the NHL and played professionally in American and international leagues before flying to Europe. He left his position as head coach of the Collège français de Longueuil in the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League to assist Cheverie. For his part, Olivier Michaud, who came as a backup for a CH game in 2001 at the age of 18, is goalkeeping coach, a position he also holds with the Voltigeurs de Drummondville in the QMJHL and the Gaulois de Saint-Jacques. Hyacinthe, in M18 AAA.
In Montreal, in Laval and a surprise…
In this abbreviated inaugural season, each of the six original teams (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, New York and Minnesota) will play 24 regular season games, including 12 at home – the next season is expected to begin in November and consist of 32 games. For the Montreal club, Center 21.02 is at home at the Verdun Auditorium, where a full house of around 4,000 spectators is expected this afternoon and at the three following games in Montreal. Curiously, three of the first five home duels are played at Place Bell in Laval. According to an estimate on the sales page, around 7,000 tickets were sold for the first game on the North Shore on Tuesday, January 16th. The Rocket Amphitheater has space for 10,062 fans. On Saturday, March 16, the Montreal team will play a game elsewhere in Quebec, but the venue has not yet been announced.
Home game schedule for the Montreal team
Saturday, January 13 c. Boston – 3:30 p.m. – Verdun Auditorium
Tuesday, January 16 c. New York – 7pm – Place Bell (Laval)
Saturday, January 20 c. Toronto – 8:00 p.m. – Verdun Auditorium
Saturday, January 27 c. Ottawa – 3:30 p.m. – Place Bell
Sunday, February 18 c. Minnesota – 1 p.m. – Place Bell
Saturday, February 24th c. Ottawa – 2:30 p.m. – Verdun Auditorium
Saturday March 2nd c. Boston – 4:00 p.m. – Verdun Auditorium
Sunday, March 10th c. Ottawa – 4:00 p.m. – Place Bell
Saturday March 16th c. Toronto – (TBD)
Friday, April 19 c. New York – 7pm – Verdun Auditorium
Sunday, April 21 c. Toronto – Time unknown – Verdun Auditorium
Wednesday, April 24 c. Minnesota – 7 p.m. – Verdun Auditorium
At the center of the attendance lists
On January 6, 2024, there were 13,316 spectators at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for a game between Montreal and Minnesota. Photo Getty Images via AFP
We don't know if the presence of the best player in the world, according to several observers, Marie-Philip Poulin, had anything to do with it, but two record crowds were recorded when her team was in action. On January 2, the 8,318 spectators who watched Montreal's victory at TD Place in Ottawa were the largest crowd for a professional women's ice hockey game, surpassing the 7,765 fans at the 2022 Swedish League final. The North American record for a regular season game was set in 2016 , when 5,938 fans showed up to watch the Montreal Canadiennes and Poulin take on the Calgary Inferno at the Bell Center in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The following season, the circuit's All-Star Game drew 8,122 spectators to the Air Canada Center in Toronto. But all of those records were eclipsed last Saturday when 13,316 spectators attended a game between Montreal and Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
First goal, first hat trick…
Ann-Sophie Bettez celebrates the goal she scored in overtime in Ottawa's 3-2 win in the Montreal team's first game in the Professional Women's Hockey League on Tuesday night. Photo Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images via AFP
In a new league there is a first time for everything. For statistics enthusiasts, here are some interesting facts about Montreal hockey players. Dalton, who was Yale University's captain last season, scored the first goal in team history on Jan. 2 with help from Dempsey and Kennedy Marchment in a 3-2 win over Ottawa. That same evening, Bettez scored the LPHF's first overtime goal. Goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens secured the first win for the Quebec club. Poulin was also punished for the first time in the federal capital because of his restraint. The captain bounced back on a visit to New York on Wednesday, scoring the team's first hat trick, the second on the circuit after Grace Zumwinkle's, which helped Minnesota beat Montreal 3-0 on Saturday. In the 5-2 win over New York, Catherine Dubois, who had just signed a 10-day contract due to injuries to Bettez and Stacey, was the first LPHF reserve player to score. It was also a first success for Montreal on the power play.
New regulations and more robustness
Dominika Laskova defeated Paetyn Levis of New York on January 10th. Getty Images via AFP
After testing new rules at a preseason tournament in December, the LPHF decided to follow most of the NHL regulations, with some differences. It is particularly notable for the fact that a penalized player can leave the penalty area earlier if her team scores while outnumbered. In the overall standings, three points are awarded for a win in 60 minutes, two points for a win in overtime or a shootout, and one for a loss in overtime or a shootout. The penalty shootout also begins with a round with five players on each side, instead of three like in the NHL. The ice hockey players can then take part in a shootout again. Athletes must wear face protection, but neck protection is not required. Fights are not allowed. In contrast to international women's hockey, checking occurs when both athletes play the puck. However, they cannot “eliminate” an opponent from the game by sending them to the boards or hitting a stationary rival.
Referee from here
Referee Élizabeth Mantha awarded a penalty shot to Marie-Philip Poulin during Montreal's first game on January 2 in Ottawa. Goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer made a save. Photo Getty Images via AFP
The LPHF uses officials who already work with the NHL, AHL, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey. Among them are some referees from Quebec, including Élizabeth Mantha and linesmen Stéphanie Gagnon, Jessica Chartrand and Anthony Lapointe. Montrealer David Taveroff, supervisor for Hockey Quebec and the QMJHL and video referee for the NHL, will be in charge of the new circuit's referees.
Referee Élizabeth Mantha conducts the first face-off between Hayley Scamurra and Marie-Philip Poulin during the match at TD Place Arena on January 2, 2024 in Ottawa. Photo Getty Images via AFP
Attractive salaries
New York's Brooke Hobson tries to stop Montreal's Kennedy Marchment from going in front of the net on Jan. 10 at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders. Photo Getty Images via AFP
Several female ice hockey players will truly experience their sport for the first time in a professional environment. For the first LPHF campaign, the average salary is US$55,000 (CA$74,000). Six players per team will earn more than US$80,000 (CA$107,000). A maximum of nine players per club will receive the minimum income of US$35,000 (CA$47,000). This amount should be increased by 3% per season. By comparison, the minimum salary in the defunct PHF was US$30,000 (CA$40,000), and the largest contracts were awarded to Canadians Daryl Watts (now near Ottawa) and Kennedy Marchment (now near Montreal), 150,000 each US dollars (CA$201,000). US$130,000 (US$174,000).