Montreal Victoire
Women's professional ice hockey team in Montreal
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The Montreal Victoire (French: Victoire de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Montreal area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. The Victoire are the current Walter Cup champions, having won the championship in 2026.[3]
| Montreal Victoire Victoire de Montréal (French) | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Laval, Quebec |
| League | Professional Women's Hockey League |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Home arena | Place Bell |
| Colours | Burgundy, sand, storm |
| Owner | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Danièle Sauvageau[1] |
| Head coach | Kori Cheverie[2] |
| Captain | Marie-Philip Poulin |
| Website | montreal.thepwhl.com |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2 (2024–25, 2025–26) |
| Walter Cups | 1 (2025–26) |
 Current season | |
History
Founding and inaugural season (2023–24)
On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Montreal.[4] On September 1, Danièle Sauvageau, the one-time coach for Canada's national team, was announced as the team's general manager.[5] 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.[6][7] Montreal's first three players—Canadian national team members Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renée Desbiens—were signed on September 5, 2023.[8] 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.[9]
The team colours were officially announced on November 14, 2023, as burgundy, "sand", and "storm".[10] 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.[11][12] On December 29, the team announced that Poulin would serve as team captain, with Stacey and Erin Ambrose serving as assistant captains.[13]
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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.[14] 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.[14] 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.[15]
On February 16, 2024, Montreal played a match hosted by PWHL Toronto at Scotiabank Arena in a game dubbed "The Battle on Bay Street".[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] This game was known as "The Duel at the Top", with the two teams vying for first place in the standings.[19] Montréal managed to draw large crowds throughout the season.[20]
Montreal clinched a berth in the inaugural PWHL playoffs on March on April 24 with a 5–2 win over PWHL New York.[21] 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.[22][23] After the season, Erin Ambrose was named the league's top defender for its inaugural year.[24]
Regular season titles and Walter Cup (2024–present)
In September 2024, the team announced that Place Bell would serve as its primary home venue for the 2024–25 season.[25] The Victoire enjoyed success in the regular season, finishing first in the league.[26] Team captain Poulin led the league in goals,[27] and subsequently became the first Victoire player to receive the PWHL's Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player honour.[28] As well, the International Ice Hockey Federation named her the IIHF Female Player of the Year for her feats with both the Victoire and the Canadian national team.[29] The Victoire faced the Ottawa Charge in the semi-finals of the Walter Cup playoffs, but were ousted in four games.[30]
With the arrival of the PWHL's first expansion teams, the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, the Victoire lost four players in the 2025 expansion draft, including defender Cayla Barnes to the Torrent.[31] The 2025–26 season would see further success, despite the loss of Poulin to injury for much of March and April.[32] The Victoire were notably dominant on home ice, with an 11–2–1–1 record at Place Bell and the Bell Centre,[33] and finished with a 17–5–2–6 record overall. They tied the Boston Fleet to lead the league with 62 points, winning their second consecutive regular season title on the tiebreaker after a shootout victory over the Torrent in the final game of the season.[34] The Victoire achieved their first postseason series victory, defeating the Frost in five games to reach the Walter Cup Finals for the first time.[35] Facing the Ottawa Charge in the finals, the Victoire prevailed in a four-game series, becoming the first Canadian team to hoist the Walter Cup.[36]
Season-by-season record
| Colour/symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| † | Indicates League Championship |
| * | Indicates Regular Season Championship |
| Season | GP | RW | OW | OL | RL | Pts | GF | GA | GD | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 60 | 57 | +3 | 2nd | Lost Semifinal, 0–3 (PWHL Boston) |
| 2024–25* | 30 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 53 | 77 | 67 | +10 | 1st | Lost Semifinal, 1–3 (Ottawa Charge) |
| 2025–26* † | 30 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 1st | Won Walter Cup, 3–1 (Ottawa Charge) |
Team identity
Montreal operated without 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.[37] 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.[38] Ultimately, when the league unveiled franchise names in September 2024, the team was given the name Victoire; it is a nod to the city's history of success in ice hockey.[39] According to a report from The Hockey News, other names in contention for the team included the Lumieres and Metro.[40] In addition to the Victoire name, the team's logo was unveiled, featuring "MV" initials and a fleur-de-lis, Quebec's national symbol.[39] The team retained its colour scheme.
Players and personnel
Current roster
Reserves
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |  |
Maya Labad | F | L | 24 | 2025 | Mascouche, Quebec |
| 51 | |
Kelly-Ann Nadeau | D | R | 28 | 2024 | Mont-Laurier, Quebec |
All-time players
Team captains
- Marie-Philip Poulin, 2023–present
Head coaches
- Kori Cheverie, 2023–present
First-round draft picks
- 2023: Erin Ambrose (6th overall)
- 2024: Cayla Barnes (5th overall)
- 2025: Nicole Gosling (4th overall)
Franchise milestones
| 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 |
| Longest goal streak (4) | Laura Stacey | February 22, 2025 – March 5, 2025 | Ottawa Charge, Toronto Sceptres, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost |
| Players in the 50-Point-Club (3) | Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Abby Roque | November 26, 2025, February 26, 26, April 07, 2026 | New York Sirens, New York Sirens, Seattle Torrent |
| Longest point streak (7) | Abby Roque, Laura Stacey | December 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026
March 28, 2026 - April 17, 2026 |
Vancouver Goldeneyes, Seattle Torrent, Toronto Sceptres, New York Sirens, Minnesota Frost
New York Sirens, Vancouver Goldeneyes, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, Boston Fleet |
| 300 career shots on goal (1) | Laura Stacey | March 22, 2026 | Ottawa Charge |
| First playoff hat-trick | Laura Stacey | May 02, 2026 | Minnesota Frost |
Awards and honours
- Erin Ambrose – 2023–24, PWHL Defender of the Year[47]
- Erin Ambrose – 2023–24 PWHL First Team All-Star[48]
- Marie-Philip Poulin - 2023-24 PWHL First Team All-Star[49]
- Maureen Murphy – 2023–24 Hockey for All Award[48]
- Marie-Philip Poulin – 2024–25 PWHL Goals Leader
- Marie-Philip Poulin – 2024–25 PWHL First Team All-Star[50]
- Marie-Philip Poulin – 2024–25 Forward of the Year[50]
- Marie-Philip Poulin – 2024–25 Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player[50]
- Laura Stacey – 2024–25 Hockey for All Award[50]
- Ann-Renée Desbiens – 2024–25 PWHL First Team All-Star[50]
- Ann-Renée Desbiens – 2024–25 Goaltender of the Year[50]
- Kori Cheverie – 2025 PWHL Coach of the Year
- Marie-Philip Poulin – 2025–26 Ilana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player[50]