Kori Cheverie reflects fondly on the conversations she had with her grandfather growing up in Nova Scotia, where he encouraged her to believe anything was attainable in sports.
First woman to play for the Toronto Blue Jays? Sure. Hoist the Stanley Cup over her head while representing the Toronto Maple Leafs? Go for it.
Though doing so as a player is now out of the question, Cheverie鈥檚 gender-breaking aspirations appear far more achievable today to the 34-year-old, who has spent the past five years chipping away at hockey鈥檚 male-only coaching barrier.
In 2017, Cheverie became the first female assistant coach of a men鈥檚 hockey team at the Canadian university level (at Ryerson). This month, after serving as an assistant on the Canadian women鈥檚 Olympic championship team, she completed a stint as Hockey Canada鈥檚 first woman behind the bench of a men鈥檚 team at the Under-18 world championships.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of funny, looking back and reflecting on those conversations as a kid, because I am the first to do quite a few things on the men鈥檚 side of hockey,鈥� said Cheverie, recalling the talks with her grandfather, Jack Rehill. 鈥淭hey speak to the limitless childhood that I had growing up, and what I was told I could be capable of.鈥�
And she鈥檚 not done dreaming.
Cheverie鈥檚 ascension coupled with the growing number of women entering pro hockey management and developmental roles has rapidly sped the timetable on when 鈥� not if 鈥� there will be a woman working behind an NHL bench.
As much as Pittsburgh Penguins president Brian Burke believes the glass ceiling should have been shattered yesterday, he balances his impatience by noting the inroads the league is making to blow up its image as an old boys club.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 basically we鈥檝e been bound by our past, which is white people playing hockey and going into management,鈥� Burke told The Associated Press.
鈥淚t might be a slower build than people like,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 greatly encouraged by the change in the last two years of the role of women in hockey, which has gone from nonexistent to significant in a very short time.鈥�
In four years since Hayley Wickenheiser opened the door by becoming the Toronto Maple Leafs鈥� assistant director of player development, the league鈥檚 female hockey-related ranks have increased to nearly 30. And that doesn鈥檛 include five NHL teams featuring female presidents.
The Penguins are among the NHL teams leading the way. With two women already on their hockey staff, the Penguins expanded the list by naming U.S. Olympian Amanda Kessel as the first participant in the team鈥檚 executive management program last month. Vancouver is the first NHL team to hire not one but two assistant general managers in Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 pretty nearsighted if people didn鈥檛 think that ultimately there鈥檇 be some sort of equalization between genders, not just in hockey but in every industry,鈥� NHL Coaches鈥� Association president Lindsay Artkin said. 鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 be unrealistic to see a female hired in the NHL after next season.鈥�
The NHLCA has played a role in fast-tracking the movement. With the backing of her male coaching membership, Artkin launched a female developmental program two years ago.
The program identified 50 women 鈥�- including Cheverie 鈥� at various levels to work directly with NHL coaches in advanced training sessions. Aside from exchanging ideas, the program also provided women networking opportunities they previously lacked in getting on the radar as potential coaching candidates.
While Artkin said NHL coaches are impressed by the wealth of knowledge the women bring, the female participants find the sessions reinforced the belief of being equals when working with men.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely validating,鈥� said University of St. Thomas assistant women鈥檚 coach Bethany Brausen. 鈥淭he terminology might be slightly different, but we鈥檙e all speaking the same language.鈥�
Whatever apprehensions Brausen had about overseeing men melted away when one male coach said most players don鈥檛 care about gender but just one thing: Does the coaching make them better?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very simple thing to say,鈥� Brausen said. 鈥淏ut I think hearing a male, coaching at that level, explicitly say that, it鈥檚 `Of course.鈥� As soon as he said that, I鈥檓 like, `Why would it matter how you look or, frankly, what your background is?鈥欌��
A conversation during a 25-minute drive with Christine Bumstead was all it took to convince former Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice how knowledgeable she was in recommending her to the program.
鈥淐hristine is going to be a great coach. She is one now,鈥� Maurice said of Bumstead, who just completed her first year as an assistant for the University of Saskatchewan women鈥檚 team. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of really intelligent young coaches, some of them are male, some of them are female, and they now have an opportunity that just wasn鈥檛 there 20 years ago.鈥�
He鈥檚 confident the gender barrier will be broken, much like other walls have fallen in recalling how Canadian Junior Hockey Leagues once shunned American-born players.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not willing to change and evolve as a coach, you鈥檙e done,鈥� Maurice said, before noting 鈥渕en don鈥檛 have the market cornered on communication.鈥�
鈥淵ou listen to Jennifer Botterill on TV. She talks about the game differently,鈥� he said of the Canadian Olympian-turned-broacaster. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a different perspective at times. It may or may not have anything to do with her being a women. But she鈥檚 interesting.鈥�
The NHL has lagged behind North America鈥檚 three other major pro sports in hiring women.
In 2019, Rachel Balkovec became major league baseball鈥檚 first full-time female hitting coach and this year became the game鈥檚 first female minor league manager. The NBA featured seven female assistants this year. And the NFL鈥檚 ranks of female coaches grew to 12 last season.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he expects the process of women being hired as coaches to evolve, rather than imposing quotas or implementing rules.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping we don鈥檛 need that,鈥� Bettman said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that it evolves to the point where it just becomes a part of how you function where you don鈥檛 need arbitrary rules for people to be doing the right things.鈥�
The chances of that happening have vastly improved, NHL vice president Kim Davis said, in crediting the developmental program for providing women direct access to those who have hiring authority.
鈥淭he fact that they have access and you have women in these roles, it鈥檚 going to ultimately result in those women ascending to these top positions as GMs, as coaches,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 hugely encouraged by our progress. We have a lot more to do. By no means are we taking a victory lap.鈥�
As much as Cheverie would most certainly like to be the first woman hired to coach in the NHL, she stressed the opportunity would have to be the right fit in working on a staff and a team open to hearing her voice.
鈥淚 would love to be in the NHL. Of course, I think, many female coaches would. But it鈥檚 not the be-all, end-all for me. I want to do the best that I can do,鈥� she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to the day where this isn鈥檛 a conversation,鈥� Cheverie added. 鈥淚 wish that day was today and it鈥檚 just us talking about a coach coaching a team and trying to help them win versus how does a female fit into a group of males in a sporting setting.鈥�
鈥擩ohn Wawrow, The Associated Press
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