Another team in the PWHL has solidified its home ice for the second season.
On Wednesday, Montreal announced that Place Bell in Laval will serve as its main arena for the 2024-25 regular season. Last year, during the league’s inaugural season, Montreal played four games at Laval, which hosted the team during the playoffs. The team saw sellouts for both semifinal home games against Boston and drew an impressive crowd of 10,172 for a thrilling triple-overtime Game 2, marking the longest playoff game in any North American professional hockey league last season.
“We are thrilled to have the capacity to accommodate our growing fanbase and provide them with more chances to support our players,” said general manager Danièle Sauvageau in a statement. “This valuable partnership with the Groupe CH will enable us to create memorable experiences with our fans.”
In 2024, Montreal held most of its home games at the Verdun Auditorium, which has a limited capacity of 4,043, significantly smaller than the Laval Rocket’s venue, which is the home for the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate. The team will continue to train at Verdun, home to Canada’s only high-performance hockey center for female athletes, Centre 21.02.
“We are thrilled to have the PWHL return to Place Bell for a full season after their incredibly successful inaugural year,” said France Margaret Bélanger, President of Groupe CH Sports and Entertainment. “During the 2024 season, the record-breaking Montreal PWHL games hosted in our venues drew large crowds that created an electric atmosphere, showcasing the strength of this hockey market. We are eager for the PWHL to make Place Bell their home.”
Montreal also hosted a game at the Bell Centre, where they set a new women’s hockey attendance record despite a loss to Toronto in the Duel at the Top last April. As the PWHL prepares for a schedule that includes 30 games for each team next season, there will be several neutral-site games like in the previous year. The details of these games, along with the start date for the 2024-25 season, are still pending.
