September 23rd, 1992. Manon Rheaume made history as the first woman to ever play in the NHL when she goaltended the first period of a Tampa Bay Lightning preseason exhibition game. Today, 30 years later, Rheaume serves as the hockey operations and prospect advisor for the LA Kings. Throughout her career she has been an inspiration for many athletes of all genders and ages, and has opened the door for women to enter the NHL industry. Let’s take a look at a few of the other notable women who have impacted the NHL.

Marguerite Norris

In 1952 Norris took over as the president of the Detroit Red Wings after her father, James Norris, passed away. Not only was she the first woman to be an NHL executive, but she was also the first woman to have her name etched on the Stanley Cup when the Red Wings won the Cup in 1954. 

Dawn Braid

In 2016 Dawn Braid was hired by the Arizona Coyotes as a full time skating coach, making her the first woman in NHL history to secure a full-time coaching position. She now does hockey consultant work, and was named one of the 25 most powerful women in hockey by Sportsnet in 2020.

Kendall Coyne Schofield

In 2019, Schofield made history in the NHL skills competition when she was asked to take over for Nathan McKinnon in the fastest skater event. Furthermore, she was also hired as the first NHL player development coach by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020. She is still in this position and continues to be a key member of the US women’s national ice hockey team.

Leah Hextall

In 2020, Hextall became the first woman to call the play-by-play for a live NHL broadcast. Hextall now works for the ESPN broadcast team as a commentator for select NHL games, and has greatly influenced the upcoming generation of broadcasters and all those in media for a lifetime.