By Emmanuelle Champagne
Danièle Sauvageau says she is at the “peak” of what she could have imagined since the creation of the new Montreal team in the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF).
“It’s interesting that we built Centre 21.02 with the goal of hosting or fielding a professional team. Our business plan was written four years ago. Now, everything has fallen into place. Experiencing this and realizing that it’s bigger than I could have imagined is the best outcome I could have hoped for,” says Executive Director Danièle Sauvageau.
A unique team
The Montreal sports scene is home to many teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens, the Laval Rockets, the Alouettes, the Alliance, and CF Montreal. However, all of these teams are all-male.
That is why former police officer Danièle Sauvageau considers the new women’s professional hockey team to be truly one-of-a-kind.
“When you look at professional hockey teams, this is the only organization that will run a professional women’s sport. So, within the ecosystem, it’s unique. Yes, it’s professional sports, but it’s about developing a niche all our own,” says General Manager Danièle Sauvageau proudly.
Giving women hope
The president of the Montreal Sports Council firmly believes that the creation of this new hockey team will give girls of all ages a concrete goal to strive for, such as becoming a professional hockey player.
Danièle Sauvageau is confident about the long-term viability of this new project, thanks to the commitment of the financial partners and the community’s enthusiasm.
"[…] Not only does the community want this now, but there’s also the financial partner who, as a corporate partner, is investing in women’s sports. So there’s more and more equity. Equity means giving women who want to play professional sports the means to do so. It creates a lot of jobs for women."
Now that the draft is over, all that’s left is training camp on November 15.
As for the team’s roster, the selection of players, medical staff, and coaching staff should be finalized within the next few weeks. “We still have an organizational chart to finalize very quickly,” says Danièle Sauvageau.
