[Signing] Hayley Wickenheiser signed as assistant of player dev. For TML

[Heavy Jack]

Pretty cool for her and I think it’s an awesome story!


Linkage

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Pretty cool for her and I think it’s an awesome story!


Linkage

I hope she'll be good at it.

[Geeoff]

I'm kinda surprised she was available and Hockey Canada didn't snap her up.

[Hey Connor, It's Mess]

I thought she was going to medical school? Interesting.

[agulati]

It is good to see her part of an NHL organization.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I'm kinda surprised she was available and Hockey Canada didn't snap her up.

I am betting that she had her choice between HC and the NHL and chose the latter.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I am betting that she had her choice between HC and the NHL and chose the latter.

Which is odd because Hockey Canada is based in Calgary (where she lives) as opposed to having to move to the Big Smoke....granted, like we can talk at this point.

Good luck to her though, I hope she performs her duties exceptionally well and that the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to suck hard regardless of her efforts.

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by Hey Connor, It's Mess

I thought she was going to medical school? Interesting.

Yeah she was accepted to U of C med. I'm guessing she has deferred her entry.

[Gaskal]

My dad taught her in a chemistry class many years back, he said Hayley was a model student. Very happy to learn she has an opportunity in an NHL organization.

Even if its the damn Leafs. Oh well.

[Lubicon]

Best of luck to her, she really has been a great ambassador for the game, not just in female hockey but in general. IIRC her son graduated high school this year which may have been a factor in her decision to leave Calgary (assuming she is moving).

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Locke

Which is odd because Hockey Canada is based in Calgary (where she lives) as opposed to having to move to the Big Smoke....granted, like we can talk at this point.

I don't think location matters much. Player Development means travelling to where the organization's players are.

The Flames' Director of Player Development, Ray Edwards, is based in Maine.

[pepper24]

I see a lot of negative feedback elsewhere that she was a good female player but not talented enough skill wise to teach player development for a NHL team. For example the Women's Olympic team play against Midget AAA teams in Alberta and maybe win half their games. I practiced with her when I played university and she would never make those teams. Nice girl and inspiring story but she wasn't CIS talent.

Good on Leafs to see beyond that and give her a chance. Some of my best coaches and teachers in hockey over the years never played at high levels. I think that's what matters with these roles. Nice to have former NHL players in these roles but not always necessary.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by pepper24

I see a lot of negative feedback elsewhere that she was a good female player but not talented enough skill wise to teach player development for a NHL team. For example the Women's Olympic team play against Midget AAA teams in Alberta and maybe win half their games. I practiced with her when I played university and she would never make those teams. Nice girl and inspiring story but she wasn't CIS talent.

Good on Leafs to see beyond that and give her a chance. Some of my best coaches and teachers in hockey over the years never played at high levels. I think that's what matters with these roles. Nice to have former NHL players in these roles but not always necessary.

While this is true, I dont think its particularly relevant to this.

First of all, a lot of successful NHL coaches were marginal players, they became excellent coaches because they couldnt just rely on their skill, they had to learn the game.

The same is true of Wickenheiser and women's hockey, she is probably more in tune with slight nuances and small things that can make a big difference or give a player an edge because she couldnt just out-muscle her opponents.

I think thats really the major benefit, you've got a player that made a habit of finding the edges, getting the breaks and making that space for themselves without relying on brute strength.

It offers a different perspective.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Locke

While this is true, I dont think its particularly relevant to this.

First of all, a lot of successful NHL coaches were marginal players, they became excellent coaches because they couldnt just rely on their skill, they had to learn the game.

The same is true of Wickenheiser and women's hockey, she is probably more in tune with slight nuances and small things that can make a big difference or give a player an edge because she couldnt just out-muscle her opponents.

I think thats really the major benefit, you've got a player that made a habit of finding the edges, getting the breaks and making that space for themselves without relying on brute strength.

It offers a different perspective.

TBF, Wickenheiser was usually bigger, stronger and faster than her opponents.

Really, none of us know how good she is at coaching, player development, etc. Whenever I heard her interviews, she didn't strike me as a student of the game but those were isolated instances.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by pepper24

I see a lot of negative feedback elsewhere that she was a good female player but not talented enough skill wise to teach player development for a NHL team. For example the Women's Olympic team play against Midget AAA teams in Alberta and maybe win half their games. I practiced with her when I played university and she would never make those teams. Nice girl and inspiring story but she wasn't CIS talent.

Good on Leafs to see beyond that and give her a chance. Some of my best coaches and teachers in hockey over the years never played at high levels. I think that's what matters with these roles. Nice to have former NHL players in these roles but not always necessary.

Thanks for your perspective, and I don't mean to be a dick when I ask this, but what higher level is there in women's hockey than captaining the Canadian Olympic team?

How many, if any, female hockey players could play Men's CIS Hockey?

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by pepper24

I see a lot of negative feedback elsewhere that she was a good female player but not talented enough skill wise to teach player development for a NHL team. For example the Women's Olympic team play against Midget AAA teams in Alberta and maybe win half their games. I practiced with her when I played university and she would never make those teams. Nice girl and inspiring story but she wasn't CIS talent.

I don't think most directors of player development actually do any real skill development with the players.

I think they basically are just responsible for passing information between prospects and the team in most cases.

[Gallick]

I could have sworn this was announced months ago. Didn't realize she was just a "guest coach" at Leafs rookie camp. Wickenheiser is an absolute legend and I would kill to have her in our front office. I don't care if she might not have been as good of a player as some of the kids she's now in charge of developing, she is more decorated than literally any male hockey player in history.

[shadowlord]

Could this be the first step in her eventual destiny to be the first female head coach of a Stanley Cup champion?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by hey connor, it's mess

i thought she was going to medical school? Interesting.

Originally Posted by lubicon

best of luck to her, she really has been a great ambassador for the game, not just in female hockey but in general. Iirc her son graduated high school this year which may have been a factor in her decision to leave calgary (assuming she is moving).

https://twitter.com/user/status/1032658127068516352

[pgsieve]

A couple things:

Glad to see some barriers being broken. To me it should always go to the most qualified (regardless of race, gender, etc.)

With that said - I really am disappointed for this for a few reasons. Many might argue that she secured her spot in medicine based on her reputation and it is a sad thing to hear that this was a wasted spot that could have been given to someone who could have became a contributing doctor in society.

I’ve also had family who have participated in some of her camps for young girls in hockey. All of the girls indicated that they felt she didn’t want to be there and came across rude and disingenuous.

As happy as I am for the sport more broadly, I wish the story would have been about another athlete as I’ve heard very few positive things about her as a person outside of what you hear publicly.

As an aside - I’m surprised no one has brought up/jokes about the timing of this relative to Dion’s departure. She did fight his brother Dane in a Bantam game!