Will the NHL ever have a female GM?

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

Even if a woman was good enough, and that's a big if, (not to be sexist or anything) she'd have to go to hell and back, and even more to become a GM. Men just have less respect for women when it comes down to sports management. The NHL is a men's league, with men managing it and men playing it. I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Well, at least he's honest.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

There won't be any high-ranking female executives before female players, I think.

 

[anders and]

The Lightning had a female Goalie.

Cool, remember hearing of that. Manon Rhéaume, played 2 games for Bolts in 93 and 94.

 

[Invictus12]

* The daughter of a very well respected player will get an exception.

If say Paulina Gretzky wanted to be a GM, she would be accepted.

Similar case to female presidents in the US, Hillary gets the exception for being the spouse of a famous president (she is obviously well qualified without that though but that relation is key)

She'd need to be competent though. Otherwise, she's just a puppet for marketing reasons. (A scapegoat if things go south) So, hopefully, that wouldn't be the case.

Same with Hillary. Too many folks get caught up in the brand name as oppose to quality, say, Elizabeth Warren?

 

[torero]

* The daughter of a very well respected player will get an exception.

If say Paulina Gretzky wanted to be a GM, she would be accepted.

Similar case to female presidents in the US, Hillary gets the exception for being the spouse of a famous president (she is obviously well qualified without that though but that relation is key)

I agree with the above, only in terms of increasing the probability, therefore the fist ones will likely be of a similar situation.

But, hockey is still very much a "macho" affair. And it is also a very very conservative environment.

So until we see this happening ...some water will flow under bridges. But as someone was saying ... never is a long time.

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

Remember when people said there'd never be a black hockey player? Asian? Indian? Or gay athletes? Or female coach? Or even a European NHL GM?

It will happen.

 

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

Right? This thread is absurd, and so are some of the answers.

Of course a woman will be GM some day. The only argument you can make against it is purely one of sexism. Not all GM's played in the NHL. Not all of them coached in the NHL. Not all of them held a high position in an organization outside of management first either. Dean Lombardi was a player agent after he stopped playing hockey in college. Then he got into management. He's turned out pretty good.

I take offense to this. I am about as pro-woman as you can get and I've outlined my reasons why I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. I think it should happen and I want it to happen, but I'm not as optimistic as some others in this thread. As much as things have progressed, there's nowhere close to gender equality in the workplace and this is amplified in a male dominated field like hockey.

Cool, remember hearing of that. Manon Rhéaume, played 2 games for Bolts in 93 and 94.

They were exhibition games, but still noteworthy.

 

[puckyeah]

If the Oilers hired a woman GM tomorrow, would they really lose MORE games?

 

[FinnBruin]

Maybe it came across differently than I meant it to. I just think that women shouldn't play/coach/manage/etc. in a men's league, just like men shouldn't in a women's league. It has nothing to do with sexism or whatever people may think. But sports are divided by gender and that's the way it should be. One can argue that if a woman was good enough for the NHL, she should be allowed to play there, because the best athletes should have the right to play in the best league in the world. But I simply have a different opinion and think the beste women belong in the best women's league, not a men's league.

Some of the best female players have played in men's leagues and AFAIK would be allowed to play in the NHL, so technically it's not even a ''men's league''.

So if you think women shouldn't be allowed to manage or coach, what about other, ''lesser'' staff members? Physiotherapists? Team doctors? How's that any different from being GM or coach in this regard?

 

[SB164]

Men have men's teams, women have women's teams.

Your country's chancellor probably the world's most powerful woman.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

If the Oilers hired a woman GM tomorrow, would they really lose MORE games?

Well that's not really a hard question. One could argue a giraffe would do every bit as well, if not better: the extended neck, along with a highly developed sense of sight, gives the giraffe a better vantage point for assessing play on a visual level.

 

[Hospy]

"ever" is a pretty long time, so I'll go with yes.

 

[Zaddy91]

If you ask yourself if a little girl could ever make the NHL you have to answer yes, I see the participation in Canada higher than it has ever been, it's moore's law one of those girls will have the physicality and talent to make the pro's in a fashion that is not ignorable by tradition.

Eventually that leads to the Management as well.

Sports I never see having women:

Football
Rugby

Every other sport I can imagine a all star girl making the leagues one day, arguable there already is.

 

[sparkycircuit]

As a women in a male dominated field who is young and relatively successful, I hope it'll happen. Whether the old boy's club lets it happen is another matter entirely. My gender has nothing to do with how qualified I am. It does, however, have a whole hell of a lot to do with how much rope I'm given to hang myself with- something that will be especially true if/when this happens, and whoever it happens to.

But I do hope it happens.

 

[DayoftheGreek]

If you ask yourself if a little girl could ever make the NHL you have to answer yes, I see the participation in Canada higher than it has ever been, it's moore's law one of those girls will have the physicality and talent to make the pro's in a fashion that is not ignorable by tradition.

Eventually that leads to the Management as well.

Sports I never see having women:

Football
Rugby

Every other sport I can imagine a all star girl making the leagues one day, arguable there already is.

I think that is a really poor use of Moore's law. Unless there is another Moore I've never heard of. Who also has a law.

 

[sirwilliam]

Even if a woman was good enough, and that's a big if, (not to be sexist or anything) she'd have to go to hell and back, and even more to become a GM. Men just have less respect for women when it comes down to sports management. The NHL is a men's league, with men managing it and men playing it. I can't see that changing anytime soon.

When a person uses this disclaimer, it's a sure sign that they're about to say something sexist.

 

[UnknownNasty]

When a person uses this disclaimer, it's a sure sign that they're about to say something sexist.

I was saying that I wasn't trying to be sexist, or offend anyone.

 

[JayKing]

Are there any in The CHL or midget AAA?

are there any female scouts in the NHL or CHL?

 

[CrypTic]

* The daughter of a very well respected player will get an exception.

If say Paulina Gretzky wanted to be a GM, she would be accepted.

Similar case to female presidents in the US, Hillary gets the exception for being the spouse of a famous president (she is obviously well qualified without that though but that relation is key)

If you're going to use Hillary as a comparison, I think it would be more apt to say the daughter of a GM (or hands-on owner, etc.) would have a chance. Hillary gets an exception not because she was married to Bill, per se, but because she was so hands-on in his campaigns, developing his policies, making decisions, etc. She was an integral (and high level) part of his team. If she were a hands-off spouse (in terms of the actual policy and political decisions), I don't think she'd have the credibility merely bc she was married to a former president. Similarly, if a GM's kid were very interested in the hands-on aspects of running a team (and made important contacts, etc.) and learned those things as a result of being a GM's kid, I think at least some orgs might be interested in hiring them in the front office. Then they could work their way up.

Edit to add: It would be similar to Pelosi, who was involved in politics at an early age because of her father, Tommy D'Alesandro (a Congressman and mayor of Baltimore).

 

[sirwilliam]

I see the GM position as having five major components:

-Player management & assessment (contracts, signings, etc)
-Drafting & development
-Trades & relationships with other GMs
-Staff management (scouting staff, coaches, etc)
-Fiscal management (cap, payroll, bonuses)

NONE of those tasks require a Y chromosome to be competitive. There are loads of competent women in the hockey world... analysts, coaches, GMs, players.

I'm excited for the day we see a female coach / president / GM, and I think it will happen.

 

[UnknownNasty]

Do you think your line of thought applies the same in lets say, a man managing a women's hockey league?

I agree that the preception exists, from a male point of view. However, I don't think it will go far if just one woman, is put in the big chair and happens to be good at it. The whole concept goes right out the window.

Alright, I'll admit you're partly right, but think about this. If a woman was as good a GM as, let's say, Ken Holland, would she get the same level of respect as Ken Holland? I highly doubt it. I'll give you an example from when I played. We had a woman as a coach for one year, and the guys played horrible and didn't listen at all compared to when we had a male coach.

 

[UnknownNasty]

I take offense to this. I am about as pro-woman as you can get and I've outlined my reasons why I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. I think it should happen and I want it to happen, but I'm not as optimistic as some others in this thread. As much as things have progressed, there's nowhere close to gender equality in the workplace and this is amplified in a male dominated field like hockey.



They were exhibition games, but still noteworthy.

I couldn't agree more with you, you get it. You guys have to be more realistic.

 

[DetBigWangs]

Alright, I'll admit you're partly right, but think about this. If a woman was as good a GM as, let's say, Ken Holland, would she get the same level of respect as Ken Holland? I highly doubt it. I'll give you an example from when I played. We had a woman as a coach for one year, and the guys played horrible and didn't listen at all compared to when we had a male coach.

Ken Holland sex change operation to be confirmed (e4).

 

[SmytheKing]

I take offense to this. I am about as pro-woman as you can get and I've outlined my reasons why I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. I think it should happen and I want it to happen, but I'm not as optimistic as some others in this thread. As much as things have progressed, there's nowhere close to gender equality in the workplace and this is amplified in a male dominated field like hockey.

Feel free to be offended. My comment wasn't directed at you at all. It was directed towards people who said it won't ever happen. You'll notice their reasons have everything to do with things other than a woman's ability to draft/scout/lead/direct/organize.

 

[PM]

Most GMs have played in the NHL before, were previously an NHL agent, have some direct relation to an ex-NHLer or a combination of the above. I think eventually we will see a female GM but unless there is already a successful female hockey agent or a woman in a high-level position within an NHL organization I don't think its happening in the near future. I don't think the Canucks have any high-ranking females in the org but I can't speak for any other teams. One poster mentioned earlier that you don't see any women really on the floor during the draft which I think is a good indication of how far away we are from seeing it.

Due to the old-boys network of NHL execs I am sure there are many people (both male and female) that would do a great job as a GM but will never be considered because they don't have a direct link to the league.