The Montreal Force were set to move into the 10,062 seat Place Bell in Laval, Quebec prior to the acquisition and disbanding of the PHF.
The Montreal Force were set to move into the 10,062 seat Place Bell in Laval, Quebec prior to the acquisition and disbanding of the PHF.
Professional facilities have been a debate in women's hockey for some time. In the PHF, facilities were improving, albeit with smaller fan capacities, but that was all set to change for next season when the Montreal Force were slated to move into the 10,062 seat Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.
The deal, which had yet to be announced, would have seen the Montreal Force playing home games at the $200 million facility, which is currently home to the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket, the top affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.
Agreements were also in place with the Mayor of Laval and Montreal Force.
The Rocket finished fifth in AHL attendance last season averaging 7647 fans per game.
Last year, the expansion Montreal Force did not have a home rink touring across Quebec to help expose fans to professional women's hockey while securing a permanent home for the franchise.
In Quebec, the Force had developed media relations drawing large viewership for games on the French language network TVA Sports.
For a trio of Montreal Force players, captain Ann-Sophie Bettez, Catherine Daoust, and Sarah Lefort, it would have been a homecoming of sorts as they all played for Les Canadiennes de Montreal, a franchise in the CWHL played home games at the arena for one season in 2018-2019 before the league shuttered operations. That season the Canadiennes roster included many national team members including Marie-Philip Poulin, Hilary Knight, Erin Ambrose, Melodie Daoust and several others.
While Montreal is a rumored location for a new professional women's hockey league, the arena deal was voided following the firing of PHF team staff, including the Montreal Force staff who had secured the arena deal at Place Bell.