Montreal Victoire visit city hall to sign golden book after Walter Cup victory

MONTREAL — After a challenging six-month season, the Montreal Victoire are taking a break to celebrate their Professional Women’s Hockey League championship win on home ground.

At an event at Montreal City Hall on Tuesday, the team took turns signing the golden book — reserved for notable people who have made contributions to the city.

A small group of fans waited outside city hall for the team’s bus to arrive and asked the players to sign jerseys, helmets, notepads and posters. Once inside, the players shook hands and posed for photos with the fans.

Several local politicians, including Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer, donned their maroon Victoire jerseys to welcome and congratulate the team.

“More than the city, they’re a symbol for women. They’re showing that hockey isn’t a sport only for men, and they’re trailblazers,” Martinez Ferrada said.

During her speech, Martinez Ferrada said hockey is in Montreal’s DNA and the Victoire are writing a new page in the history of the city and the sport.

“I hope our Canadiens will be very inspired by you and your feminine energy,” she said with a wink, the day after Montreal’s NHL team lost to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second game in a row. The Habs are now trailing the Hurricanes 2-1 in the best-of-seven third-round series.

The Victoire defeated the Charge 4-0 in Ottawa last week to become the first PWHL Canadian team to win the Walter Cup, and a parade celebrating their victory is scheduled for Saturday in Montreal.

The players all said they’ve been enjoying the festivities in the week since their big win — with events nearly every day — and they’re happy to share it with the city and their fans.

“I feel amazing. It’s been a surreal week with all the support, all the love we’ve gotten,” said Poulin. “It’s for the whole city of Montreal and we’re all in this together.”

Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens smiled wide while remembering the final moments in the third period of the team’s last game when she knew they had it in the bag.

“I got so excited, I’ve got shivers just thinking about it,” she said. “I showed emotion, which I usually don’t during a game, but at 4-0 I was like you know what? I get to jump, I get to be happy, I get to celebrate.”

Forward Hayley Scamurra adds the team faced a lot of adversity with the full squad only playing five games together all season. She said it shows that each player on the Victoire roster plays a critical role.

It was a difficult season for the Victoire, with some getting sick during playoffs and Poulin’s knee injury at the Winter Olympics, but head coach Kori Cheverie said her team “left nothing on the ice.”

“We didn’t need any magic, we just needed everyone to show up,” she said. “We created a belief in the team that we can do anything and everything.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press