[Blaster86]

Cassie got hired because she was a Canadian sports hero, very well connected in the sport, had an interest in broadcasting and yes, because she was a woman.

Being a woman was not the sole reason for her hiring. But getting young girls and women more involved in sport is something that society has wanted to see and has been working on for a loooong time. A great way of helping that is putting a woman's voice into sports that do not traditionally have a woman's voice. So when a young girl watches a hockey game they hear and realize that "Hey this is for me too!" I don't see an issue with the fact she was a woman playing a role in her hiring. I hope that they continue to keep things like this in mind when hiring.

Do I think she was good at it? No. She was awful. Her being awful had nothing to do with her being a woman though. And now that she's done it, we are seeing more women in hockey broadcasting beyond "pretty girl hosting the panel," who are capable (and in many cases better at it than Cassie) of offering unique and intelligent insights into the game. As more women enter the air waves, hopefully it leads to more young girls picking up a stick and playing the game.