Emilie Castonguay knew she wouldn鈥檛 be an anomaly for long.
The former player agent made history in January when she became the Vancouver Canucks鈥� first ever female assistant general manager 鈥� and a rare women working in an NHL front office.
鈥淪ometimes there鈥檚 just one domino that needs to fall and I think the glass ceiling was broken there,鈥� Castonguay said. 鈥淎nd I knew that after that, the floodgates would open.鈥�
She was right.
At the NHL entry draft on Thursday and Friday, there were several women on the floor, including five female AGMs.
Cammi Granato, who joined the Canucks鈥� front office in February, sat next to Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin, discussing players and, at one point, looking at a photo Allvin鈥檚 kids sent of the early-morning sky from their home in Sweden. Castonguay sat next to Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, carefully studying the team鈥檚 list.
Over at the Toronto Maple Leafs鈥� table sat Hayley Wickenheiser, who was promoted Tuesday to assistant GM of player development. Meghan Hunter of the Chicago Blackhawks and Kate Madigan of the New Jersey Devils were also on the draft floor after being elevated to assistant general manager positions earlier this month.
鈥淭here were times I didn鈥檛 think this was an option for women. Growing up, there was no representation, so it wasn鈥檛 something that I thought would happen in my lifetime,鈥� Granato said.
Granato鈥檚 long been breaking down barriers for women in hockey.
She captained the U.S. team that beat Canada to win gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and remains the all-time leading scorer for the American women鈥檚 team. She and Canadian Angela James became the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. Then she became the NHL鈥檚 first female scout when she was hired by the Seattle Kraken.
鈥淚 think the mindset that is changing is that women are qualified,鈥� Granato said. 鈥淚 think before it was like 鈥榃ell, women can鈥檛 do this job, women aren鈥檛 qualified, women don鈥檛 know hockey.鈥� But that鈥檚 not true.鈥�
Front offices aren鈥檛 the only area women are breaking into the NHL.
The Montreal Canadiens recently brought on three-time gold medallist Marie-Philip Poulin as a player development consultant and the L.A. Kings have added Canadian Olympian Manon Rheaume as a hockey operations and prospects adviser. In the American Hockey League, the Coachella Valley Firebirds will have Jessica Campbell behind the bench as an assistant coach when they begin their inaugural season.
The wave of women sweeping into positions across the league has long been building, Hunter said.
鈥淵ou could almost feel it. The timing was so right and it鈥檚 so awesome,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 could just see it was happening, that we we鈥檙e starting to break down some barriers.
鈥淲omen bring diverse opinions into the different organizations so it鈥檚 really awesome that we鈥檙e finally getting the opportunities.鈥�
Coming out of the University of Wisconsin, Hunter women working in hockey operations. Instead, she worked behind the bench, even coaching Castonguay at Niagara University.
鈥淚 naturally just gravitated into coaching female hockey, and just started in that avenue,鈥� Hunter said. 鈥淢y path definitely wasn鈥檛 linear. I didn鈥檛 really know where I was going post playing career.
鈥淚 just kind of did what I enjoyed and I worked really hard at it and I鈥檓 just thankful that these opportunities are coming at the time that they are.鈥�
The NHL broke another barrier last week when the San Jose Sharks hired Mike Grier as the league鈥檚 first Black general manager.
Having more diversity in front offices is 鈥渇abulous,鈥� said Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, a longtime NHL executive.
鈥淭o bring minorities and women into our sport, you think about all the, women hockey players on the Canada team, the U.S. team and other countries too, but they鈥檝e been playing the game of hockey since they were little girls just like the little boys.
鈥淪o I think it鈥檚 great for our league, and I would expect it鈥檚 going to continue more and more.鈥�
Folks that are moving into these NHL jobs deserve them not because they tick a box but because they鈥檙e talented, Castonguay said.
鈥淚鈥檝e said it from the beginning 鈥� for me, it鈥檚 just about hiring the right people and the most competent people, whether they鈥檙e male or female,鈥� she said.
鈥淎nd I feel like that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing. So as long as it keeps going in that trend, and we鈥檙e doing it for the right reasons, I鈥檓 all for it.鈥�
鈥擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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