On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Montreal.[3] On September 1,Danièle Sauvageau, the one-time coach forCanada's national team, was announced as the team's general manager.[4]Kori Cheverie, a former assistant coach with the Canadian national team and the first woman to have coached a Canadian men's hockey team, was named the team's inaugural coach on September 13.[5][6] Montreal's first three players—Canadian national team membersMarie-Philip Poulin,Laura Stacey, andAnn-Renée Desbiens—were signed on September 5, 2023.[7] At the2023 PWHL Draft on September 18, the team selected 15 players; their first pick, at sixth overall, was Canadian national team memberErin Ambrose.[8]
The team colours were officially announced on November 14, 2023, as burgundy, "sand", and "storm".[9] Later that month, it was revealed that the team would host the majority of its games at theVerdun Auditorium, with four games atPlace Bell.[10][11] On December 29, the team announced that Poulin would serve as team captain, with Stacey andErin Ambrose serving as assistant captains.[12]
Montreal celebrating a victory over PWHL Minnesota in 2024.
Montreal's first ever game took place on January 2, 2024, againstPWHL Ottawa; the 8,318 fans in attendance at Ottawa'sTD Place Arena set a new attendance record for professional women's hockey.[13] Claire Dalton scored the first goal in franchise history. Although Montreal twice trailed in the game,Ann-Sophie Bettez scored in overtime to secure the team's first win by a score of 3–2.[13] The team hosted its first home game on January 13, withPWHL Boston securing a 3–2 overtime win in front of a sold-out crowd at Verdun Auditorium.[14]
On February 16, 2024, Montreal played a match hosted byPWHL Toronto atScotiabank Arena in a game dubbed "The Battle on Bay Street".[15] The game set a league and women's hockey attendance record with a sell-out crowd of 19,285, beating the previous record of 18,013 at the2013 IIHF Women's World Championship.[16] Two months later, on April 20, Montréal hosted Toronto in its first-ever home match at theBell Centre, selling out the arena and setting another new attendance record at 21,105.[17] This game was known as "The Duel at the Top", with the two teams vying for first place in the standings.[18] Montréal managed to draw large crowds throughout the season.[19]
Montreal clinched a berth in the inaugural PWHL playoffs on March on April 24 with a 5–2 win overPWHL New York.[20] They faced Boston in the first round of the playoffs, and lost three straight games in overtime—including a triple-overtime affair in the second game of the series—to get eliminated from contention.[21][22] After the season,Erin Ambrose was named the league's top defender for its inaugural year.[23]
In September 2024, the team announced that Place Bell would serve as its primary home venue for the2024–25 season.[24] The Victoire enjoyed success in the regular season, finishing first in the league, while team captain Poulin led the league in goals.[25][26] The Victoire faced the Charge in the semi-finals of the Walter Cup playoffs, but were ousted in four games.[27]
Montreal operated without league branding during the PWHL's inaugural season, along with the other charter franchises. The team was known as PWHL Montreal and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the city's name diagonally on the front.[28] The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring burgundy, black, and beige. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Montreal Echo.[29] Ultimately, when the league unveiled franchise names in September 2024, the team was given the name Victoire; it is a nod to the city's history of success in ice hockey.[30] According to a report fromThe Hockey News, other names in contention for the team included the Lumieres and Metro.[31] In addition to the Victoire name, the team's logo was unveiled, featuring "MV" initials and afleur-de-lis, Quebec's national symbol.[30] The team retained its colour scheme.
^Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023)."PWHL Releases Jersey Designs".The Hockey News.Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. RetrievedNovember 14, 2023.
^Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 2, 2024)."PWHL sorting out missing pieces like team names and logos as it goes along".The Globe and Mail.Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 18, 2024.However there are some missing pieces, such as names and logos for the six teams. "I don't, I don't," PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten said Monday on whether he has a timeline for those key elements to be included.
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