When the Premier Hockey Federation was finally confirmed in Montreal on Tuesday, it raised the question of how the new team will fit within the women’s hockey ecosystem in the city.
When the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded after the 2018-19 season, the then-NWHL (now PHF) teased expansion to Toronto and Montreal. Players formed the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) as they didn’t feel that league was viable long-term solution. Since then, the league expanded to Toronto in 2020 before coming to Montreal for the 2022-23 season.
Montreal’s women’s hockey community has been close-knit and has largely stuck together.