Fresh off capturing the team’s first Walter Cup last week, Montreal Victoire players, coaches and management visited city hall on Tuesday to sign Montreal’s Golden Book.
The team was greeted by chanting fans outside and welcomed by the mayors of Montreal and Laval, who both wore Victoire jerseys for the occasion.
Before inviting them to sign the book, Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada thanked the players for what they contributed to the city this year.
“Beyond the goals and wins on the ice, you’re advancing something much bigger: women’s place in sports, young girls’ confidence and a city’s collective pride,” Martinez Ferrada told them.
“When young girls watch you play, they don’t just see hockey players. They see role models — strong, disciplined, ambitious women — and, above all, endless possibilities,” the mayor added. “That changes a city. It changes an entire generation.”
Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin signs autographs for fans before entering city hall on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
The Victoire secured the title last week after defeating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 in Game 4 at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre, losing only one game in the best-of-five series final.
The Montreal team finished at the top of the standings this season and reached the Professional Women’s Hockey League playoffs for the third year in a row. They are the first Canadian team in the league’s three-year history to win the Walter Cup.
After visiting city hall Tuesday, where they hoisted the cup to applause and cheers, the team will take to downtown streets on Saturday for a short parade and celebration at the Quartier des Spectacles.
“We worked so hard all year to be able to bring the Walter Cup (to Montreal), and we did it,” Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin told the press conference at city hall on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
Speaking at the signing, team captain Marie-Philip Poulin said it was an honour to represent Montreal and described the support the team received during the playoffs, even when on the road.
Poulin spoke of feeling fans’ energy when most needed and said she hopes to see them on Saturday, “so we can all enjoy this together.”
“We worked so hard all year to be able to bring the Walter Cup (to Montreal), and we did it,” Poulin said. “We did it for ourselves, we did it for the city, we did it for the whole country.”
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