Montreal hosts women’s ice hockey showcase in push for fully-funded professional league

The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) held a showcase over the weekend in Montreal’s Verdun borough. After the Canadian women’s team took home gold at the Beijing Olympics, organizers hope the event adds to the exposure of the sport.

“The games are great, so it’s been fun,” said spectator Sasha Brunelle.

Montreal fans have waited two years for the opportunity to cheer on some of North America’s best female hockey players in person. On Saturday and Sunday they could watch a total of four games, two per day.

The showcase features regional teams from the PWHPA, Montreal, Calgary, Boston and Minnesota taking to the ice at the 21.02 Centre.

“We haven’t played at home in a while and with COVID, so it’s good to be back in Montreal and play games in front of our own crowd. Amazing, actually,” said PWHPA player Emmanuelle Blais.

The Centre was built for Les Canadiennes before the Canadian Women’s Hockey League ceased operations in 2019. The facility is ready for a home team, but currently there’s no fully-funded women’s professional league in North America.

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Montreal coach Danièle Sauvageau is optimistic that will change, soon.

“One we have the player, two we have the facility, we have the fans and we have the community. So what does it take? It’s the league and the proper people are taking care of that, and right now it’s going very well,” she said.

In the meantime, the players association hopes to help women’s ice hockey reach a wider audience.

“There was a lot of people in the stands yesterday (Saturday) that had never seen these players playing live, and that is huge,” said Sauvageau.

Ten year old Avery May travelled from Ottawa to Montreal for the weekend. The hockey player says the two hour drive to watch her favourite athletes was worth it.

“I find that it’s really inspirational because I can look at what they’re doing and I can apply it in my games,” she told Global News.

May hopes a women’s professional league becomes a reality, so eventually she can join them on the blue line.