The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) continues to grow, announcing earlier this week that a franchise in Montreal is joining the league for the 2022-23 season.
The expanding league, formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), had six teams prior to adding Montreal: the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps and the Toronto Six.
Adding a seventh team strengthens the league’s presence in the hockey-loving country of Canada.
“This is a very exciting time for the PHF and the growth of professional women’s hockey,” said Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner. “The city of Montreal and province of Quebec have a rich hockey history that the PHF is proud to officially be a part of.”
Running the Montreal franchise will be new team President Kevin Raphaël, a man whose leadership is matched by his energy and enthusiasm for the sport.
“I’ve been working so hard for the past four years now to bring a team back in Montreal after what happened,” said Raphaël. “I believe that we have the fan base and the infrastructure in the province of Quebec to support strongly a pro women’s hockey team.”
Raphaël, a long-time supporter of women’s hockey and a celebrity in the sport, was referring to the shuttering of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in 2019, a moment that preceded the founding of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA).
Listening to Raphaël’s passion for hockey and his new team during the zoom press conference brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Raphaël’s hiring also illustrates the league’s continued diversity, particularly at the executive and ownership levels. That includes other leaders like Toronto Six owners Anthony Steward, Angela James, Bernice Carnegie and Ted Nolan, as well as Willie O’Ree, minority owner of the Boston Pride.
Raphaël pledged to do right by the players, parents, fans and friends, which instilled confidence in hockey fans that Montreal’s new team was in good hands.
“My mission is to make sure that we do right by the players,” said Raphaël.
That’s something he firmly believes and stands by. Yet he understands that the work leading up to the announcement is by no means done.
There are many more challenges facing the team’s new president, but that doesn’t deter him in the least bit.
“We can’t stop ourselves from the challenge of doing something unique,” he said.
The new franchise must now decide on the team’s name, logo, coaching staff, host arena/s and build the general operations around the new franchise.
And of course, no team would be complete without a roster, so they must also sign players.
That isn’t something of great concern to Raphaël.
“I don’t think it’s going be long before we start to sign players because I’m telling you, a lot of people are hitting up my phone right now,” he said.
While there’s still lots to be done before the start of the season, a date which hasn’t been announced as of yet, Raphaël is happy about what they’ve accomplished so far.
“Professional women’s hockey is back in Montreal, and Emmanuel and I are very excited to work with the PHF to help grow the women’s game across the entire province of Quebec,” said Raphaël. “We look forward to building a team with strong community partnerships and talented athletes who are ready to make a real difference on and off the ice. This is just the beginning for what is going to be a very special season for everyone.”
