PWHL hopes to break record attendence at Bell Centre game in Montreal
The Montreal and Toronto Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) teams will face off at the Bell Centre on April 20.
Since the new league launched, all parties involved had been saying that it was only a matter of time before the Canadiens’ arena opened its doors to the women.
The duel against the Ontarians, originally scheduled for the April 21 at the Verdun auditorium, had to be brought forward by one day. The PWHL confirmed the announcement in a news release Tuesday.
The league is hoping to break the attendance record for a women’s hockey match — currently held by Toronto, which hosted Montreal at the Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 16 in front of 19,285 fans. The Bell Centre has a maximum capacity of 21,105.
Montreal and Toronto are tied at the top of the league with 30 points, but the Ontarians have one more win than their rivals.
The Bell Centre hosted a match for the Canadiennes de Montréal in 2016, when they were playing in the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Around 6,000 spectators watched the clash between the local club and the Calgary Inferno.
The PWHL’s teams have already been able to play in several NHL arenas since January’s launch — including Toronto, Minnesota, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Montreal will face Toronto at the PPG Paints Arena, home of the Penguins, on Sunday.
