Women’s pro hockey league adds Montreal franchise, with further expansion possible in a year
Premier Hockey Federation, previously known as the National Women’s Hockey League, is entering its eighth season.
The Premier Hockey Federation announced on Tuesday that it will add a seventh franchise, in Montreal, for the 2022-23 season.
The PHF’s other Canadian team is the Toronto Six.
“We are extremely excited to be able to announce today a project that’s been in the works and been thoroughly vetted for a number of months,” said PHF commissioner Reagan Carey. “I appreciate everybody’s patience. I started just a few days over two months ago, and that has been circled on my list as a top priority since day one. It’s been a, well, thorough process to get us to where we can ensure that we have the right people, the right place, and the right time for us to take this next advanced step here.”
» READ MORE: Why Philly doesn’t have a major pro women’s sports team, and how that could change
The PHF, formerly the National Women’s Hockey League, rebranded in 2021. Before the Montreal announcement, the league was made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, and the Toronto Six. They compete for the Isobel Cup.
Carey, who was hired in April, noted that the expansion into Montreal will solidify the league’s eighth season. The PHF plans to continue seeking opportunities to grow into other areas for season nine. Carey said growing the league will depend on what this looks like, instead of considering the highest bidder to place a team in an area.
“There’s so many areas to gather information from and to leverage research that’s being done and to better understand the women’s sports market in general,” Carey said. “Also what’s great for hockey, teammates, like the sports innovation lab has been really helpful in informing us about the trends and areas that demonstrate where we could thrive, as well as just our own research and working with markets that want to work with us.
“It comes down to that purposeful partnership. There’s a lot of people out there that want to scoop up and buy teams or that want to just put a lot of cash toward women’s sports right now, which is terrific for our industry, and particularly for women in sports. But you also have a responsibility to make sure that it aligns with all the values and vision for the league.”
The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, a nonprofit founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and a rival to the PHF, broke off talks with PHF because the leagues’ objectives were not aligned. The PWHPA plans to begin play within a year. Many of the top players from the United States and Canadian Olympic teams plan to play in the yet-to-be-announced league.
Carey said “the door’s always open” to collaborate with the PWHPA and the NHL to form partnerships and grow the sport.
“That hasn’t changed; it won’t change,” Carey said. “But we’re also moving full steam ahead in building a thriving home for women’s professional ice hockey, and that’s our objective. That’s what we’re doing. I think it’s been pretty clear from all the action we’ve had in the last few months and what we plan to do moving forward. So, ultimately, this announcement with Montreal and the work we’re doing with PHF just allows players options.”
» READ MORE: Women’s Frozen Four at Penn State the latest sign of progress for women’s hockey in Pennsylvania
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, when asked in May during the Associated Press Sports Editors meetings, said the NHL would not choose which women’s league to support and said he wanted the sides to settle on one league before the NHL got more involved.