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Montreal Victoire

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Montreal Victoire
Victoire de Montréal (French)
CityMontreal, Quebec
LeagueProfessional Women's Hockey League
FoundedAugust 29, 2023 (August 29, 2023)
Home arenaPlace Bell
ColoursBurgundy, sand and storm
     
Owner(s)Mark Walter Group
General managerDanièle Sauvageau[1]
Head coachKori Cheverie[2]
CaptainMarie-Philip Poulin
Websitemontreal.thepwhl.com
Current season

The Montreal Victoire (French: Victoire de Montréal) are a professional women's ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They play home games at Place Bell in Laval.

History

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Founding and inaugural season

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On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Montreal.[3] On September 1, Daniele Sauvageau, the one-time coach for Canada's national team, was announced as the team's general manager.[4] Kori Cheverie, a former assistant coach with the Canadian national team and the first woman to have coached a Canadian men's hockey team, was named the team's inaugural coach on September 13.[5][6] Montreal's first three players—Canadian national team members Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renee Desbiens—were signed on September 5, 2023.[7] At the 2023 PWHL Draft on September 18, the team selected 15 players; their first pick, at sixth overall, was Canadian national team member Erin Ambrose.[8]

The team colours were officially announced on November 14, 2023, as burgundy, "sand", and "storm".[9] Later that month, it was revealed that the team would host the majority of its games at the Verdun Auditorium, with four games at Place Bell.[10][11] On December 29, the team announced that Poulin would serve as team captain, with Stacey and Erin Ambrose serving as assistant captains.[12]

Montreal celebrating a victory over PWHL Minnesota in 2024.

Montreal's first ever game took place on January 2, 2024, against PWHL Ottawa; the 8,318 fans in attendance at Ottawa's TD Place Arena set a new attendance record for professional women's hockey.[13] Claire Dalton scored the first goal in franchise history. Although Montreal twice trailed in the game, Ann-Sophie Bettez scored in overtime to secure the team's first win by a score of 3–2.[13] The team hosted its first home game on January 13, with PWHL Boston securing a 3–2 overtime win in front of a sold-out crowd at Verdun Auditorium.[14]

On February 16, 2024, Montreal played a match hosted by PWHL Toronto at Scotiabank Arena in a game dubbed "The Battle on Bay Street".[15] The game set a league and women’s hockey attendance record with a sell-out crowd of 19,285, beating the previous record of 18,013 at the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship.[16] Two months later, on April 20, Montréal hosted Toronto in its first-ever home match at the Bell Centre, selling out the arena and setting another new attendance record at 21,105.[17] This game was known as "The Duel at the Top", with the two teams vying for first place in the standings.[18] Montréal managed to draw large crowds throughout the season.[19]

Montreal clinched a berth in the inaugural PWHL playoffs on March on April 24 with a 5–2 win over PWHL New York.[20] They faced Boston in the first round of the playoffs, and lost three straight games in overtime—including a triple-overtime affair in the second game of the series—to get eliminated from contention.[21][22] After the season, Erin Ambrose was named the league's top defender for its inaugural year.[23]

In September 2024, the team announced that Place Bell would serve as its primary home venue for the 2024–25 season.[24]

Team identity

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Inaugural season logo for PWHL Montreal.

Montreal operated with league branding during the PWHL's inaugural season, along with the other charter franchises. The team was known as PWHL Montreal and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the city's name diagonally on the front.[25] The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring burgundy, black, and beige. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Montreal Echo.[26] Ultimately, when the league unveiled franchise names in September 2024, the team was given the name Victoire in a nod to the city's history of success in ice hockey.[27] According to a report from The Hockey News, other names in contention for the team included the Lumieres and Metro.[28] In addition to the Victoire name, the team's logo was unveiled, featuring "MV" initials and a fleur-de-lis, Quebec's national symbol.[27] The team retained its colour scheme.

Players and personnel

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Current roster

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As of March 20, 2024 [29][30][31][32]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
23 Canada Erin Ambrose (A) D R 30 2023 Keswick, Ontario
24 Canada Ann-Sophie Bettez Injured Reserve F L 37 2023 Sept-Îles, Quebec
6 United States Madison Bizal D L 24 2023 Elk River, Minnesota
1 Canada Marlène Boissonnault G L 27 2023 Dundee, New Brunswick
44 United States Amanda Boulier D R 31 2024 Watertown, Connecticut
26 Canada Sarah Bujold F L 28 2023 Riverview, New Brunswick
20 Canada Elaine Chuli G L 30 2023 Waterford, Ontario
42 Canada Claire Dalton F R 24 2023 Toronto, Ontario
4 Canada Catherine Daoust D R 29 2024 Île Bizard, Quebec
25 Canada Melodie Daoust F L 32 2023 Valleyfield, Quebec
8 Canada Gabrielle David F R 25 2023 Drummondville, Quebec
14 United States Jillian Dempsey F L 33 2023 Winthrop, Massachusetts
35 Canada Ann-Renée Desbiens G L 30 2023 La Malbaie, Quebec
28 Canada Catherine Dubois F L 29 2024 Charlesbourg, Quebec
13 Canada Mikyla Grant-Mentis F L 26 2024 Brampton, Ontario
2 United States Mariah Keopple D L 24 2023 Hudson, Wisconsin
10 Canada Brigitte Laganière D L 28 2023 Montreal, Quebec
96 Czech Republic Dominika Lásková Injured Reserve D R 27 2023 Prague, Czechia
16 Canada Sarah Lefort F L 30 2023 Ormstown, Quebec
12 Canada Leah Lum F L 28 2023 Richmond, British Columbia
22 Canada Kennedy Marchment Injured Reserve F R 27 2023 Courtice, Ontario
15 United States Maureen Murphy F R 24 2023 Buffalo, New York
43 Canada Kristin O'Neill (A) F L 26 2023 Mississauga, Ontario
17 Canada Alex Poznikoff F L 29 2024 Edmonton, Alberta
29 Canada Marie-Philip Poulin (C) F L 33 2023 Beauceville, Quebec
7 Canada Laura Stacey (A) F R 30 2023 Mississauga, Ontario
9 Canada Kati Tabin D L 27 2023 Winnipeg, Manitoba

Reserves

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As of March 20, 2024[32]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
34 Canada Liliane Perreault F R 24 2024 Toronto, Ontario
3 Canada Brooke Stacey F L 28 2024 Kahnawake, Quebec

Team captains

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Head coaches

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First-round draft picks

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Main article: List of Montreal Victoire draft picks

Franchise milestones

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Milestone Player Date Opponent
First penalty Marie-Philip Poulin for Holding January 2, 2024 PWHL Ottawa
First goal Claire Dalton

Assisted by Jillian Dempsey and Kennedy Marchment

January 2, 2024 PWHL Ottawa
First win Ann-Renée Desbiens January 2, 2024 PWHL Ottawa
First hat-trick Marie-Philip Poulin January 10, 2024 PWHL New York

References

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  1. ^ "PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction". Sportsnet. Rogers Media. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 13, 2023). "Kori Cheverie To Coach PWHL Montreal". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction". Sportsnet. Rogers Media. September 1, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 13, 2023). "Kori Cheverie To Coach PWHL Montreal". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Kori Cheverie to become 1st woman to coach a Canadian men's hockey team". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. April 14, 2022. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  7. ^ Laframboise, Kalina (September 7, 2023). "'Women's hockey is growing': Poulin, Desbiens and Stacey sign with PWHL's Montreal team". globalnews.ca.
  8. ^ Donkin, Karissa (September 19, 2023). "New beginnings and dreams coming true: 3 stories from the inaugural PWHL draft". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Montreal PWHL team begins season Jan. 2, home opener Jan. 13 in Verdun". Montreal Gazette. November 28, 2023. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Donkin, Karissa (November 30, 2023). "PWHL releases full 72-game schedule ahead of inaugural season". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Donkin, Karissa (December 29, 2023). "Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner named captains of PWHL Montreal, Ottawa". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Brennan, Don (January 2, 2024). "A Night to Remember: Montreal scores OT win in Ottawa's historic PWHL opener". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Rainbird, Daniel (January 13, 2024). "Boston's Pelkey spoils Montreal's PWHL home opener in OT after Poulin's disallowed goal". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Scotiabank Arena to host PWHL's 'Battle on Bay Street' between Toronto, Montreal". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. January 25, 2024. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (February 16, 2024). "PWHL Toronto tops Montreal 3-0 in front of record-setting crowd at Scotiabank Arena". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  17. ^ Rainbird, Daniel (April 20, 2024). "PWHL-leading Toronto clinches playoff berth, wins in OT before record crowd in Montreal". CBC Sports. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Rowe, Daniel J. (April 20, 2024). "Nurse OT winner breaks Montreal hearts as Toronto wins PWHL 'Duel at the Top'". CTV News. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "PWHL Montreal draws high attendance in inaugural season". Sports Business Journal. Leaders Group. May 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "O'Neill scores, assists as PWHL Montreal clinches playoff berth in win over New York". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. April 24, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Boston knocks Montreal out of playoffs in PWHL semifinal". Montreal Gazette. May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  22. ^ Laprade, Pat (May 18, 2024). "Back To Work This Offseason For PWHL Montreal Players, In Many Ways". The Hockey News. Brantford, Ontario: Roustan Media. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  23. ^ "PWHL Awards: Erin Ambrose named top defender for 2024 season". CityNews Montreal. June 11, 2024. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "PWHL Montreal is making Laval's Place Bell its home for team's 2nd season". CBC News. September 4, 2024. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  25. ^ Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 2, 2024). "PWHL sorting out missing pieces like team names and logos as it goes along". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024. However there are some missing pieces, such as names and logos for the six teams. "I don't, I don't," PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten said Monday on whether he has a timeline for those key elements to be included.
  26. ^ Salvian, Hailey (October 26, 2023). "Potential names for PWHL's original 6 franchises revealed". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Wawrow, John (September 9, 2024). "PWHL reveals names, logos for all 6 franchises ahead of second season". CBC Sports. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  28. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 9, 2024). "These Were The Final Four Names In Contention For Each Of The PWHL's Six Teams". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  29. ^ "PWHL teams release final 23-player rosters ahead of Jan. 1 season opener". CBC. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "PWHL Montreal Roster 2024 Regular Season". PWHL-Professional Women's Ice Hockey League. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  31. ^ Book, Jared (December 29, 2023). "Marie-Philip Poulin named captain of Montreal PWHL". habseyesontheprize.com.
  32. ^ a b "Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Roster Updates". March 19, 2024.
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