Not surprisingly, star forward Marie-Philip Poulin is the first captain in the history of the Montreal team, of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF).
She will be supported by Laura Stacey and Erin Ambrose, who will wear the A for assistant captain. Kristin O’Neill will also wear it during away matches.
The announcement took place Friday afternoon, during the presentation of the Cirque du Soleil show Crystal at the Bell Center. The players concerned learned the news on site.
The appointment of Poulin as captain was a no-brainer, as she is considered the best player in the world. The Beauceville striker, who no longer needs any introduction, has worn this title almost everywhere she has gone in her career. She has also been the captain of the Canadian team since 2015.
As for Stacey and Ambrose, they have both played for the national team since 2016. The first was one of the first three players to sign an agreement with the Montreal club. As for the second, an offensive defender, she was the first round choice of general manager Danièle Sauvageau during the draft.
This announcement comes four days before the team’s historic first game, which will take place on January 2 at TD Place in Ottawa.
Earlier on Friday, the Réseau des Sports (RDS), TSN and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF) announced an agreement providing live coverage of numerous matches in the new league, including the first season will premiere on January 1st.
The agreement includes broadcast rights for the playoffs and the LPHF final in 2024.
In total, 16 meetings of the Montreal team will be presented on RDS between January 2 and May 4. The January 2 meeting will also be the first in the history of the Montreal team, led by Kori Cheverie.
Claudine Douville and Isabelle Leclaire will be responsible for the description and analysis of the matches. Andrée-Anne Barbeau, Émilie Duquette, Karell Émard and Stéphanie Poirier will be present for the pre-match. Journalist Catherine Savoie completes the broadcast team.
“The visibility offered by our broadcast partners is unprecedented in women’s hockey and reinforces the growing interest in our sport,” said Stan Kasten, member of the LPHF advisory board, in a press release.
The eight matches of the Montreal team which are not broadcast on RDS will be presented on Ici Tou.tv, on Radio-Canada. Two of these matches will also be presented on Ici Télé. All matches on Radio-Canada will be commented on by journalist Jean St-Onge, who will be accompanied by the hockey director of the 21.02 High Performance Center, Stéphanie Poirier. The latter will act as an analyst.
Remember that the Montreal team will begin its season on January 2 in Ottawa, before traveling to Minnesota on January 6 and New York on January 10. The first home match will take place on January 13, at the Auditorium de Verdun, against the Boston team.