The Montreal Force only existed for one year, but what it achieved greatly contributed to the advancement of women’s hockey, believes Kevin Raphaël. The one who was general manager of the Montreal team of the defunct Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is proud of it.
What there is to know
- On June 30, a group led by Mark Walter, owner among others of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as Billie Jean King Enterprises, two entities already involved in the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), purchased the PHF with the aim of establish a single professional women’s hockey league, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
- PHF teams, such as the Montreal Force, were disbanded and all PHF players’ contracts were canceled.
- The activities of the new league, which includes six teams (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Minnesota and Boston), will begin in January 2024. Danièle Sauvageau has been named general manager of the Montreal team; his first three signings were attackers Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey as well as goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens.
“If it’s not Montreal and the impact we had on women’s hockey and the PHF in the space of a year – because we changed the entire PHF game –, there is no merger, no purchase. There’s nothing happening, said Kevin Raphaël on the line. This has been said to me by both sides. Both the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF) and the former owners (of the PHF). »
Not only were the supporters there over the last year, but the Force was also able to create, says Raphaël, a “professional structure” in a short time. It was also the only women’s team to have an agreement with a broadcaster for all its matches.
The former CEO says he knew how to make “good business decisions”, allowing his players, for example, to sleep in the best hotels. “In terms of business, Montreal is profitable,” he adds a little later. To say that a professional women’s team, in its first year, was profitable… Look, there is no one. »
Raphaël is also of the opinion that “the PWHPA would not have been interested in purchasing the PHF if the PHF was not a threat”. “Why has the PHF become a threat? Because Montreal was taking up more and more space and we were coming to make decisions across the league. We brought all the best players in the league to one place because they all wanted to come play here. »
Ultimately, this unique Force season will have helped advance women’s hockey. “That’s the goal,” recalls Raphaël, who also says he never agreed to receive a paycheck from the Force over the last year.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Kevin Raphaël (right) was the general manager of the Montreal Force, of the defunct Premier Hockey Federation.
Helping the players
Kevin Raphaël had no idea that the PHF would be purchased this summer. He also had several expenses, including contracts for several players, validated by the owners in the weeks preceding the transaction.
“From what we understand, they got an offer they couldn’t refuse. Because otherwise, and this was confirmed by the others, we were playing the season. »
When Kevin Raphaël and his partner, Emmanuel Anderson, learned of the purchase on June 30, they tried to gather as much information as possible about the new league. Their priority was to offer their players solutions and support.
There are two styles of reaction. There’s the one where you feel sorry for yourself and you’re sad for your players, and there’s the one where you ask yourself: what can I do to help as many as possible in this?
Kevin Raphael
The two men “fought like hell”, says Raphaël, so that the Force personnel received financial compensation, and so that the compensation given to the players was as important as possible. Remember that certain players who played in the PHF will not be selected by one of the six LPHF teams during the expansion draft and will find themselves without a team for the season.
“The players all received their financial compensation,” he said. Everyone got what they were due according to the package we fought for. »
Raphaël also wanted to support each player who asked for his help in finding an agent. He also claims to have received messages from various players from other PHF teams congratulating him for the work accomplished.
“We made (our players comfortable) as much as possible with the conditions we had. That, for me, is a big success. »
Of course he will miss the team he built. “The day I deleted things from my calendar was difficult,” he admits. But the fact remains that ultimately, the job he has set for himself is “to help women’s hockey as much as possible”. And that, he maintains, is successful.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished in the space of a year. I hope it’s a good one template. »
No involvement yet
Without giving too many details, Kevin Raphaël indicates that he was asked to get involved in the new league, but he and Emmanuel Anderson decided to do their part. “Currently, I did not feel that I could help them to the maximum of my abilities according to the structure that was there,” he said. “The sentence that was said to me was: I’m sad that it’s not working… for now,” he relates. Raphaël nevertheless intends to continue to highlight women’s hockey, as he already does in different ways. He also insists that he has no animosity towards anyone. “I’m really happy for Pou (Marie-Philip Poulin). Pou, Stace (Laura Stacey), all those girls… They are people I love dearly. These are people who, tomorrow morning, ask me for a kidney and I give it to them. »
