N.B. goalie prepares for 'Christmas morning feeling' ahead of inaugural PWHL season
Marlene Boissonnault of Dundee and Sarah Bujold of Riverview will play for Montreal in the team’s first season
Even if Marlene Boissonnault doesn't get a win in her team's first game in the Professional Women's Hockey League, the existence of the league is already a victory.
"The night before the first game is going to be that Christmas morning feeling, where you go to bed really excited about the fact that finally we're where we want to be," said Boissonnault, who will play for Montreal's PWHL team in their first game on Jan. 2, 2024.
"We've been dreaming about this since we were little girls and girls nowadays are still dreaming about it, right? Struggling to believe that it's true or maybe not knowing that it's a thing yet."
The league announced its rosters earlier this week, and it will be easy for New Brunswick fans to choose a team to cheer for. Montreal is not only the closest team in the league, which also includes Toronto, Minnesota, New York, Boston and Ottawa, but it also features two New Brunswick players.
Boissonnault of Dundee, which is 14 kilometres southwest of Dalhousie, and Sarah Bujold of Riverview, will play along side Canadian national team star Marie-Phillip Poulin and against great players, including Sarah Nurse and Hilary Knight.
"I was excited, of course, to have all the best players in the world to play, finally, in one league and to be at the highest level possible," said Bujold.
"That's my goal, of course, to be able to play against and with those players and keep improving. So that's super exciting."
'Before, there was nothing'
Boissonnault graduated from Cornell University in 2019, and since then has yearned for an opportunity that would give her a chance to really play professional hockey. She says playing in Europe or the Canadian Women's Hockey League, which folded in 2019, just didn't cut it.
"I mean, before there was nothing. Let's be real," said Boissonnault.
"Nothing was sustainable, whether it be the visibility, whether it be in all the true talent put together in one league, whether it be the investors, the supporters, the fan base ... it wasn't there consistently or efficiently with these leagues."
She says the PWHL has come together quickly and has everything the other leagues didn't.
"We've been wanting to have something truly good for the sport that is going to be long term, built by professionals for professionals, and that is going to be the best that there's ever been, something that we've never seen before, and we're all very excited for it," said Boissonnault.
For Sarah Bujold, it will be her first time playing professional hockey in Canada in front of her friends and family. And she hopes her play can be an inspiration for future players.
"Being able to be back in Canada finally, and my family and friends and everyone can come see me, it's really nice and comforting," she said.
Bujold played five years of university hockey for St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. After that, she had hoped to play for the Canadian Women's Hockey League, but the league folded in 2019, and she had to look elsewhere to continue her career.
She went on to play in Sweden and New York, but was excited when she heard there was a chance for her to play in Canada.
"That was kind of my goal, to get back to Canada and be a bit closer to home."
Inspiring others
Growing up, Bujold didn't think she would ever play professional hockey. She knew about the NHL, but assumed she would only be able to play at university and that would be it.
"As a little girl, I didn't really have too many women's hockey players to look up to," she said. "There was obviously Team Canada — you had the big stars. But other than that, it's like, 'Where am I going to play?' There was no end goal."
The PWHL not only gives her the opportunity to play closer to home, but it also gives young girls a chance to see what high level women's hockey looks like.
"Now that there is a league — for young girls it's a dream to be able to play professionally and at the highest level and then to compete at the highest level. So yeah, it's amazing that we're finally here," said Bujold.
The first game of the season is on Jan. 1, 2024. Bujold and Boissonnault will get their first chance to play on Jan. 2, when Montreal takes on Ottawa.
And while they will be looking for a win in their first game, Boissonnault has another definition of success.
"Success is finding that ability to be able to showcase the game, to be able to have people tune in and have people look forward to those games, have fans excited to come to the games and support us and see what it's about," said Boissonnault.
"Something that's going to be a huge win is simply seeing those little girls in the stands with their signs, with their jerseys with our names on it ... looking forward to one day be a part of the PWHL."
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