The Bell Centre will host a Professional Women’s Hockey League match between Toronto and Montreal, two bitter rivals.
The game on April 20 was initially supposed to take place at the 4,114-seat Verdun Auditorium on April 21.
The Montreal Canadiens’ Bell Centre, which can hold more than 21,000 people, will be the sixth NHL arena to host a PWHL game in the league’s first season.
When Montreal and Toronto last faced off on February 16 at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a sold-out crowd of 19,285 set a record for women’s hockey attendance. That game was won 3-0 by Toronto.
On Sunday, the two sides will square off at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena, home of the NHL’s Penguins, as a neutral site match.
With 30 points apiece, Montreal and Toronto are tied for top place in the six-team PWHL. The Bell Center contest is known as the Duel at the Top.
The Canadian Press released this report for the first time on March 12, 2024.
A week following a sad overtime loss to new rivals Boston (opens in a new tab), PWHL hockey fans will be treated to a packed Verdun Auditorium tonight as Montreal takes on Toronto.
The professional women’s hockey league’s sellout games, enthusiastic fan bases, and high caliber of play come as no surprise to TSN 690 host Andie Bennett.
What these ladies have battled for so long is becoming increasingly evident to hockey fans, Bennett said.
There’s an opportunity to start a rivalry between the two female teams tonight in Verdun, since both Toronto and Montreal have sold out their home games.
Week one star in the league With five points (four goals, one assist), Marie-Philip Captain Clutch Poulin(opens in a new tab) is the team leader.
Tereza Vanisova (five assists) and Maureen Murphy (five assists) are also on five points.
Elaine Chuli, who has a 0.938 save percentage, will probably be in goal.
Poulin’s game-winning goal in Montreal’s 3-2 victory over New York opened in a new tab to complete the team’s first victory at home.
The PWHL aims to be successful where other female professional leagues have failed. Bennett added that the preparation put in before players take the ice is a big part of why this league might flourish.
It was crucial for the players that they had a CBA that worked, and they succeeded in doing that, the player stated.
According to Bennett, the NHL was able to concentrate on getting players on the ice by bringing in seasoned hockey executives Stan Kasten and Brian Burke.
