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Montreal Canadiens finally step up to support the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League

Montreal Canadiens finally step up to support the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League

In the end, you wonder why it took so long, because the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League have been looking for support from the hockey's emperor, the nearby Montreal Canadiens, for awhile.

Finally, on Thursday, the NHL club announced a partnership with the Stars, set up to offer much-needed support on several different levels.

The press release stated, in part: "The Canadiens organization will make its infrastructure and resources available to the Stars, along with a host of expertise in the areas of marketing, advertising and sponsorships, while assisting in merchandising and promoting the Montreal Stars brand. Together, the two teams will work to encourage the development of women's hockey at the grassroots level and contribute to various community projects and initiatives."

The CWHL was officially founded in 2007. But before that, there was the NWHL (National Women's Hockey League), which was in existence from 1999 to 2007. One Montreal team in that league was called the "Axion", a bilingual play on words but not exactly a name that was easy to market or get behind.

There also were the Wingstars, the Quebec Avalanche, the Montreal Jofa Titan and the Sainte-Julie Panthères, among other teams and incarnations in sort of a revolving door of ephemeral organizations during a time the powerhouse teams of the genre generally were Ontario-based.

That has changed with the Stars, whose roster at times has been a who's who of Canadian women's Olympic team members including Charline Labonté, Caroline Ouellette, Cathy Chartrand and Catherine Ward, to name just a few.

The Canadians, whose contributions to grassroots hockey in the province are substantial, were probably remiss in not addressing this previously – especially given how successful Canada is at women's hockey. The club tends to be ahead of curve, not behind it, in many things. Last December, they put on a clinic for female players, but if that was the extent to which they could boast of their contribution to women's hockey on a day they announced a partnership like this, that's pretty thin soup.

"As a professional hockey organization, we have been closely involved in minor hockey development for many years in Quebec, and with the growing popularity of women's hockey over the last decade, I think this is the right time to concretely support women who play professional hockey, and, at the same time, promote the sport among up-and-coming players," was the statement from Canadiens CEO Geoff Molson.

“Female hockey players in Quebec and around the world, along with fans of the CWHL, will be the ultimate beneficiaries of the work we do together," CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress said.

Better late than never.

Will it make a major difference in the end? Probably not much although it certainly should help the Stars cover their expenses. But fans are not going to pour into the Etienne-Desmarteau Arena in east-end Montreal to see women's hockey just because it has now received the Canadiens' seal of approval, that's for sure. It's one of those fringe initiatives that has its diehards – and it's a fun opportunity for dads to take their daughters to a game.

And, it goes without saying, the women are very, very good at what they do.

But as with many sports played by both men and women, there's not necessarily that much of a crossover between the men's and women's incarnations.

The Stars already wear the Habs' iconic bleu-blanc-rouge.

The Montreal Stars' jersey already pretty much looks like the Habs' jersey - with one big, iconic logo missing.
The Montreal Stars' jersey already pretty much looks like the Habs' jersey - with one big, iconic logo missing.

The Stars have won the Clarkson Cup twice, and lost in the finals earlier this month to the Boston Blades. Bruins, are you paying attention?