Montreal Force
Former women's professional ice hockey team in Montreal, Quebec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Montreal Force (French: la Force de Montréal) were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), based in Montreal. The team was established in 2022 and debuted in the 2022–23 PHF season. The Force played only one season, as the PHF's assets were purchased, and the league dissolved, at season's end. This was part of the creation of a new, unified professional women's league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).[2]
| Montreal Force Force de Montréal | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Montreal, Quebec |
| League | Premier Hockey Federation |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Folded | 2023 |
| Home arena | Centre 21.02 (practice site only for 2022–23)[1] |
| Colours | Black, maroon, white |
| Owner | BTM Partners |
| General manager | Kevin Raphaël |
| Head coach | Peter Smith |
| Captain | Ann-Sophie Bettez |
History
Montreal was long planned as a location for a PHF expansion franchise, but uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic led the league to delay its plans.[3] An expansion franchise was announced by the league in July 2022, with the owners announced as BTM Partners, which also owns three other PHF teams.[4] The team's name, logo and jersey were revealed in a press release from the league the following month.[5][6] Three uniforms were used during the inaugural season, one maroon with white stripes, one black with maroon stripes, and one white with maroon stripes, all with fleur-de-lis shoulder patches.[5]
The team announced in September 2022 that Peter Smith would be the team's first head coach, with Pierre Alain as associate coach and Katia Clement-Heydra as assistant coach.[7]
The team's first goal was scored in its inaugural match, a 5-4 shootout win against the Buffalo Beauts, by captain Ann-Sophie Bettez.[8]
The Force did not have an official home, but instead played home games at select rinks across the province of Quebec, including the Aréna Raymond-Bourque in Montreal, the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, the Aréna régional de la Rivière-du-Nord in Saint-Jérôme, and the Centre Premier Tech in Rivière-du-Loup; the team was also expected to play at venues in Gatineau, Quebec City, and Sept-Îles.[1][9]
In June 2023, the PHF's assets were purchased and the league was ultimately wound down as part of the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey League, the first unified women's professional league in North America.[2] In August, it was announced that Montreal had been awarded one of the six charter PWHL franchises.[10] PWHL Montréal made its debut on January 2, 2024.[11]
Team
2022–23 roster
Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Peter Smith
- Associate coach: Pierre Alain
- Assistant coach: Katia Clement-Heydra
Front office
- As of October 11, 2022[15]
- President: Kevin Raphaël
- Vice president: Emmanuel Anderson De Serres
- Ownership group: BTM Partners
Season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 24 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 56 | 70 | Did not qualify |
Awards and honors
- Laura Jardin, 2023 PHF Foundation Award [16]