After weeks of speculation, it was finally made official on Tuesday morning. The PWHL game between Montreal and Toronto previously scheduled for April 21 at the Verdun Auditorium will be moved to Saturday April 20, and will be played at the Bell Centre with a 1:00 p.m. puck drop.
“This game will reach well beyond the rivalry that always accompanies a game between pro hockey teams from Toronto and Montréal,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “The ‘Duel at the Top’ will bring an intriguing dimension to this chapter: whether PWHL Montréal, which already has played before four of the top five crowds in our inaugural season, can make more women’s hockey history at the Bell Centre by taking the world attendance record away from PWHL Toronto.”
“Coming off the incredible success of the four PWHL games we have hosted at Place Bell this season, we are thrilled to be able to bring a marquee PWHL game to the Bell Centre in April to showcase the best of women’s hockey on the NHL’s biggest stage,” said France Margaret Bélanger, Groupe CH president, sports and entertainment. “The Canadiens have been longtime supporters of women’s hockey and this is another opportunity for us to work together with the PWHL to help grow the game and shine a well-deserved spotlight on the best female players in the world.”
“Quebecers and Montrealers have shown an outpouring of support for our team this season, regardless of where we have played our games,” said Danièle Sauvageau, PWHL Montreal General Manager. “Our fans have been asking us for this and we are happy to be able to give them what they want. It’s exciting to know that we will be playing in the largest hockey venue in North America, and I am certain that our supporters will be louder than ever.”
The goal of the game is to sell the game out, or at the very least beat the 19.285 that Toronto had at Scotiabank Arena in February. If Montreal sets the record, it will be a record that will last a long time as they have the biggest arena in the NHL. Montreal holds the record for highest attendance for a regular season game in the CWHL and PHF, the two most recent leagues before the PWHL.
This will be the third women’s hockey regular season game at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens previously hosted Les Canadiennes in 2016 and 2017 where they played the Calgary Inferno and Kunlun Red Star. The first women’s hockey goal scored at the Bell Centre was scored by current Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin in a 1-0 win on December 10, 2016.
The current Bell Centre record is 5,938 fans from the 2016 game. The current Montreal-area record is 10,172 from two sold-out games at Place Bell in Laval.
Montreal and Toronto are currently tied atop the PWHL standings with 30 points each. Montreal has played one game more than Toronto. The two teams play in another NHL arena, PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, on Sunday.
Tickets for the “Duel at the Top” go on sale to the public on March 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET and will be available via Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up online for PWHL Montréal’s e-newsletter for priority access. Season ticket members and all fans with tickets for the game, originally scheduled to be played at Verdun Auditorium on April 21, will be contacted in advance of public sale.
