The Arizona Coyotes made an announcement of several coaching hires this afternoon, most notably the hiring of Dawn Braid who becomes the NHL’s first full-time female coach.
It’s been a feel good summer in the desert for the Arizona Coyotes and their fans.
The new general manager, John Chayka, put together an excellent draft and free agency strategy along with the front office and Head Coach Dave Tippett. Captain Shane Doan came back for another season. A new arena is on the horizon.
We’ve joked that Chayka and the Coyotes ownership group have made a concerted effort to break news weekly in an effort to make hockey a year-round sport in Arizona.
With the announcement of some coaching hires earlier this afternoon, they continued that trend.
The Arizona Coyotes hired Mike Van Ryn, Steve Potvin and Dawn Braid to full-time positions on their staff. Van Ryn will serve as Development Coach, while Potvin was named as the team’s Skill Coach.
It’s the hiring of Dawn Braid as Skating Coach that is the most notable, however.
The franchise has now hired the NHL’s first full-time female coach and for historical purposes, that’s pretty damn noteworthy.
It’s not about making news, though. Braid has “worked part-time for the Coyotes last year and has served as a skating consultant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames.”
In other words, she’s pretty good at her job, folks.
Dawn Braid has also spent seven years with the Athletes Training Center as director of skating development, where she worked with some names you might recognize, including some guy named John Tavares.
Coach Braid joins a growing list of women breaking the glass ceiling of the old boys club in the four major professional sports in North America.
The Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as their Quality Control Coach over Special Teams in January. It was a big deal, and ruffled the feathers of a few troglodytes.
The NBA has two female assistant coaches, Nancy Lieberman with the Sacramento Kings and Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs.
Another Arizona team, this time the Cardinals, originally broke the gender barrier in the NFL with the hiring of Jen Welter as an intern to coach their linebacking corps during training camp and the preseason.
Breaking into a world completely dominated by men and their egos is no small feat.
The move by the Arizona Coyotes ownership and front office to hire Braid is a big step for not only the club, but the entire NHL, which may be the most traditional and resistant to change of all the four major sports.
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It’s good to be a fan of a franchise that is making positive moves, both on the ice and off of it.
Beyond that, here’s to hoping Van Ryn, Potvin, and Braid help Head Coach Dave Tippett and company mold this blossoming group into a powerhouse over the next few seasons.