PWHL Montreal is making Laval's Place Bell its home for team's 2nd season
For its second season, PWHL Montréal will make Place Bell its primary home.
During its inaugural season, the PWHL team played 11 home games in three different venues. It played six games in its main home, the Verdun Auditorium, and four games at Place Bell, a larger arena located just north of Montreal in Laval, Que.
The Verdun Auditorium seats 4,114 and Place Bell seats just over 10,000.
The team also played a sold-out game last season at the Bell Centre, the home of the Montreal Canadiens that can seat over 21,000 fans, setting a world record for attendance at a women's hockey game.
Place Bell is already home to the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
"We are extremely happy to be able to accommodate our growing number of fans and to give them even more opportunities to come support our players. This precious collaboration with the Groupe CH will allow us to create new magical moments with our fans," said PWHL Montreal general manager Danièle Sauvageau in the team's written statement.
The team says three games at Place Bell last season drew capacity crowds, including a historic triple-overtime playoff game versus Boston.
France Margaret, the president of Groupe CH Sports and Entertainment which owns the Montreal Canadiens, said the organization was "thrilled" to have PWHL Montreal make Place Bell its home.
"Over the course of hosting multiple record-setting PWHL Montreal games in our venues in 2024, we saw crowds create an electric atmosphere, once again demonstrating the strength of this hockey market," Margaret said in the statement.
PWHL analyst Hanna Bunton said today's news is a big step in the right direction. She said she is excited for the team and the players as they enjoyed the atmosphere at Place