The Montreal team joining the Premier Hockey Federation this season finally got its name, logo, and jerseys at an unveiling held on Tuesday at the Montreal Casino.
Introducing the Montreal Force ⚜️
Accueillons la Force de Montréal ⚜️https://t.co/XvNptQRK8K pic.twitter.com/acLXpdWD2e
— PHF (@PHF) August 30, 2022
The team will be named the Force, something that had leaked out over a week ago when the trademarks were filed. The name works in both French and English, which was obviously a key factor in the market.
The team, led by Kevin Raphaël, was officially announced in mid-July, and the team has already signed several players, including former Canadiennes Ann-Sophie Bettez, Sarah Lefort, Marie-Soleil Deschênes, and Catherine Daoust, among others.
The PHF now has seven teams. The Montreal team will practice out of the Centre 21.02 at the Verdun Auditorium, but will play its home games throughout the province as they try and reach out and grow the game across the province. Montreal, Gatineau, Québec, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Saint-Jérôme, and Sept-Îles are among the hosts in consideration for the 2022-23 season. Dates will be confirmed when the full PHF regular season schedule is announced in early September.
The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association will still have a training centre in Montreal and will also train at the Centre 21.02, a high-performance training centre focused on women’s hockey. The PWHPA announced its season will be its biggest yet, with more games than previous years. The teams at the showcases will be region-agnostic and chosen by a panel of experts, however, in an attempt to create unique combinations.
Most players the Force have signed so far have been members of the PWHPA.
