In Montreal West, girls gear up for practice with a little help from Mom and Dad. Like many seven- and eight-year-olds, they already know what they want. “I was on a boys and girls team. But yeah, I kind of just wanted to be on an all-girls team,” said forward Claire MacMahon. Since the 2021-2022 season, girls’ hockey in Quebec has seen steady growth. According to Hockey Quebec, registrations have jumped from 6,072 girls in 2021-2022 to 9,342 this season — an average annual increase of 11.4 per cent. The biggest boost came in 2022-2023, with registrations climbing 16.3 per cent from the year before. The number of girls’ teams has also more than doubled in that time. There were 114 teams in 2021-2022 and now 242 are competing in the Ligue québécoise de hockey féminin. Hockey Quebec attributes the rise in part to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), but the winter Olympic years provide an even bigger bump in registrations. And while no players from Quebec appeared on the men’s Olympic team, the women’s side is another story. Two of Team Canada’s most prominent players are from the province. “What we hear a lot is that there aren’t a lot of players from Quebec. And it’s been the same kind of subject on the men’s side,” said Stephanie Poirier, Hockey Quebec’s director of women’s hockey. “But, of course, the two difference-makers on the team are from our province.” Girls like MacMahon and her teammate, goalie Mollie Bowen, have taken notice. “I really like Marie-Philip Poulin,” said MacMahon. “I like Ann-Renée Desbiens,” Bowen added. But with growing popularity comes new challenges. Hockey Quebec says there simply aren’t enough rinks to meet demand, forcing girls’ teams to practice or play at odd hours. “It’s hard to get those ice times. So that’s a huge problem. That’s probably one of the biggest right now,” Poirier said. Despite that, the Montreal West players take pride in playing on an all-girls team, especially after a recent tournament win against the boys. “I think the dads are pretty mad that the boys got crushed by the girls,” Bowen. “I just love hockey. I love working hard in practices. And then when we get to games, the hard work pays off,” MacMahon said.
