Peter Smith became the first head coach in Montreal Force history on Tuesday.

The pilot spent 20 seasons behind the bench of the McGill University Martlets from 1999 to 2020. He is the most successful women’s hockey coach in the history of the program with an overall record of 534-229-33. He also has four national titles (2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014) to his credit.

At international level, the Lachine native worked primarily as an assistant coach to the gold-medal winning team at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to train the Montreal Force,” Smith said in a statement. Having a professional women’s hockey team in town and representing the entire province is exciting for players and fans alike.”

In addition, Pierre Alain has been signed as Associate Coach and Katia Clement-Heydra will serve as Assistant Force Coach.

The former has been the head coach of the Carleton University Ravens women’s team for the past eight seasons. The second, for her part, spent the 2021-2022 season as an associate coach at McGill.

“The leadership of this group is strong, their experience is unparalleled, and what excites me most is how eager they are to compete,” said Force President Kevin Raphaël. Peter is one of the greatest hockey minds in Canadian women’s hockey history, Pierre is a hard worker who believes in our mission, and Katia is rapidly rising through the coaching ranks with her unique perspective as a player. I’m proud of this coaching staff and have faith in them achieving our goals on and off the ice.”