Les Canadiennes de Montréal will be calling the Verdun Auditorium home as of 2019.
The news was announced at the historic auditorium on Monday afternoon, with a slew of politicians on hand, including Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, Verdun mayor Jean-François Parenteau and provincial MNA Isabelle Melançon.
Meg Hewings, general manager of Les Canadiennes, said moving to Verdun is a great thing for one of Canada’s leading women’s hockey teams. Les Canadiennes used to be called the Montreal Stars and changed their name in September 2015, a few months after entering into a marketing partnership with the Montreal Canadiens.
“The Verdun Auditorium is an incredible facility, it has a history that goes way back in terms of hockey, on the men’s side but on the women’s side, too,” said Hewings. “It’s the right size for us. It’s a 3,000 to 4,000-seat arena, so we’re hoping to grow into that by the time we open in 2019. It’s also a great facility for our athletes in terms of being able to train and compete. So we’ll have our home locker room here and we’ll have a number of amenities. And it’s been difficult for us to find that in the past several years…it’s also close to the metro. It’s accessible.”
The team has been in discussions with the Verdun administration for two years and Verdun has taken into consideration some of the team’s concerns while planning the renovations that are currently underway. Les Canadiennes de Montréal had been playing for several years at the Étienne-Desmarteau arena in Rosemont but they moved this year to the Centre Sportif Claude Robillard because Étienne-Desmarteau is under renovation. One of the problems at Claude Robillard is that the arena only seats 650 people. The team also will have a number of games at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard (the Canadiens’ practice facility) this season and will play one game at the Bell Centre Nov. 11, against the expansion Chinese team Kunlun Red Star.
Hewings also thinks there is a great fan base for hockey in the area.
“Verdun is a neighbourhood that’s crazy about hockey and we’re excited to fill this place and light it up with the hockey that we’ve been showcasing,” said Hewings.
“You don’t have to look too far around here to understand the community spirit that thrives in Verdun,” said Brenda Andress, the commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. “You look at your main street, with shops, where people know each other … for us that’s what’s important in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. It’s not only about playing the game on the ice. It’s about what you do off the ice. … For us it’s about finding ways to ensure that young girls are empowered — empowered to believe they can become what they choose to be in life. Empowered to make sure their fitness level and their self-esteem is important to them. And the power to know that no matter who you are born to … that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League provides the most high examples with our players. Our players really are what the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is about. Every day that they come play with us … those players give back to the community.”
