The Montreal Stars are no more – the team will now be known as the Montreal Canadiennes and has a brand new look, the team and the Habs announced Thursday.
The Canadiens and Stars announced a partnership agreement in March, a move that was billed as a way to grow the women’s game.
The new moniker refers to one of the first French-Canadian women’s hockey teams from Quebec, a group of Francophone women also known as the Canadiennes who played together in the 1930s.
“History is being made today as there is no better partner in Quebec hockey than the Montreal Canadiens. As a league, we are proud to have reached this point, where a female hockey player can finally realize her dream of becoming a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization,” said CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress in a news release.
The new logo is a rounded C with a stylized star and is a nod to the partnership between the two teams while honouring the Stars’ history – the team has finished in first place overall six times and have won the Clarkson Cup, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s equivalent to the Stanley Cup, three times in the league’s nine-year history.
The clubs will partner up to when it comes to promotions, finances, sponsorship, marketing and community initiatives, it was announced.
The Canadiennes will sport their new look for the first time on the ice at their season opener Saturday, Oct. 17 against the Brampton Thunder. Puck drop is at 5:30 p.m. at the Etienne Desmarteau arena.
