Will the NHL ever see a female head coach?

[OppositeLocK]

The same OHL where most players are one and done and/or never even come close to making it to the show? That OHL?

That might be the worst take I've heard in a while lmao.

The worst OHL player could play in the world's best women's league and rack up Gretzky points.

 

[leafsfan5]

Because they are physically unable to compete on the same level. What could they possibly have to offer over the next best male counterpart other than political optics?

There's coaches who have no high level playing experience and they've done more than fine. Right now Jon Cooper is leading the best team in the league and he didn't play. Barry Trotz wasn't a world beater in junior and he's the best coach in the NHL. Historically, Pat Burns also didn't play and neither did Ken Hitchcock, both are championship level coaches.

It's rare but to act as though it's impossible is incorrect. You can have good NHL coaches who haven't played high level hockey. It's certainly possible for a woman to be qualified enough for the position

 

[OppositeLocK]

But the quality of the person as a coach isn't entirely commensurate to their quality as a player. It's easy to find examples of this: Barry Trotz is one of the best coaches out there right now, and he was only good enough to get a pity AHL camp invite after his junior career. Paul Maurice scored 6 points in 32 games in his final season in the OHL (I'm going to assume that's terribad like it is now), and immediately went into coaching because of injury after his junior career.

Have any of you actually played hockey? Even junior A is a massively high level. You're comparing them to the few hundred best men in the entire world.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

The worst OHL players would absolutely dismantle a team of the best women players in the world

No one is disputing this.

 

[SoupNazi]

because charismatic knowledgeable men in coaching are far superior than their female counterparts and will actually be able to get a rise out of the team/players when they need to motivate it'd be awfully hard to get NHL players to buy into what they are selling.

So if men are better at getting a rise out of teams and motivating, by this logic, should all military leaders and heads of state be men as well?

 

[Blender]

There is absolutely no correlation between playing ability and coaching ability. This has never been a thing.

 

[Panthaz89]

So if men are better at getting a rise out of teams and motivating, by this logic, should all military leaders and heads of state be men as well?

no because we are talking about NHL coaches for a men's league and the very best athletes in the world at hockey.

 

[MXD]

Pat Burns spent more time on ice driving police cars in Hull than playing any kind of serious hockey past Midget level.
He's in the HHOF as a coach.

Knowing that, we can probably infer that playing hockey at Midget A hockey isn't necessary to have a career in coaching.

 

[Viqsi]

There is absolutely no correlation between playing ability and coaching ability. This has never been a thing.

No meaningful one, anyways. High hockey IQ can lend itself well to both, but one has to be able to communicate with others effectively as well.

 

[OppositeLocK]

So if men are better at getting a rise out of teams and motivating, by this logic, should all military leaders and heads of state be men as well?

Show me a woman leading special forces. Or are you just referring to political officer roles?

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

There is absolutely no correlation between playing ability and coaching ability. This has never been a thing.

It's such a weird track to take the argument. Not only is there no correlation, before Rod Brind'Amour there were no coaches currently in the NHL who were considered both good at coaching and at playing.

Much more reasonable, imo, is that current professional hockey coaching requires being a part of insular hockey culture, of knowing the "language", and right now women don't really have access to that. But I suspect the problem some people have with that line of argument is that it can be changed, whereas focusing it on player quality is something that cannot.

 

[Jacob]

Of current HCs 21 are former NHL players- and most of the rest played up to pretty high levels, either NCAA, major junior or minor league hockey. The only one with no significant playing experience is Cooper who quit playing in high school and later worked his way up the ranks from coaching high school, to NAHL, to USHL, to AHL then NHL with incredible, possibly unprecedented team success each step of the way.

If a female is going to HC we’re probably going to see her coming as she moves up in the ranks like that. I think to start we’ll need to see way more assistants at the junior, collegiate and minor hockey levels and then see where they’re at in a few decades. Gonna be a while though.

Obviously being a good NHL coach doesn’t require being a good NHL player but that experience seems pretty important. To get your foot in the door, learn from other NHL coaches, who knows.

 

[OppositeLocK]

No meaningful one, anyways. High hockey IQ can lend itself well to both, but one has to be able to communicate with others effectively as well.

Agreed, I just don't see how you can teach on a high level if you can't do on a high level.

Coaching isn't just, "alright, let's go boys".

 

[SoupNazi]

no because we are talking about NHL coaches for a men's league and the very best athletes in the world at hockey.

And there's no scientific proof that men make better leaders than women. Just because there hasn't been one doesn't mean that a woman couldn't succeed at motivating the "very best atletes in the world at hockey."

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Never is a long time but I don't see it. At least a head coach. Assistant coach? Maybe. More front office positions? Sure.

 

[OppositeLocK]

And there's no scientific proof that men make better leaders than women. Just because there hasn't been one doesn't mean that a woman couldn't succeed at motivating the "very best atletes in the world at hockey."

And yet according to US law, only men can be drafted to war.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

The same OHL where most players are one and done and/or never even come close to making it to the show? That OHL?

That might be the worst take I've heard in a while lmao.

You come across as incredibly naive.

 

[bigdog16]

Of current HCs 21 are former NHL players- and most of the rest played up to pretty high levels, either NCAA, major junior or minor league hockey. The only one with no significant playing experience is Cooper who quit playing in high school and later worked his way up the ranks from coaching high school, to NAHL, to USHL, to AHL then NHL with incredible, possibly unprecedented team success each step of the way.

If a female is going to HC we’re probably going to see her coming as she moves up in the ranks like that. I think to start we’ll need to see way more assistants at the junior, collegiate and minor hockey levels and then see where they’re at in a few decades. Gonna be a while though.

Exactly what I came to say. We arent even seeing women assistants at the junior hockey level yet. I think ultimately we will, or it will at least be tried. But we are a long ways away from seeing a female behind an NHL bench.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

I think so but you know that the cave trolls of hockey fandom would hate that. I mean just read the comments in this thread.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Have any of you actually played hockey? Even junior A is a massively high level. You're comparing them to the few hundred best men in the entire world.

Wait, are you saying men are better than women at sports in our society?

Wow.

You should apply for a MacArthur grant for this scintillating contribution to science.

 

[Viqsi]

Agreed, I just don't see how you can teach on a high level if you can't do on a high level.

Coaching isn't just, "alright, let's go boys".

Ask Scotty Bowman. Or John Tortorella.

 

[OppositeLocK]

There is absolutely no correlation between playing ability and coaching ability. This has never been a thing.

Yup, there are far more coaches who have never stepped out on a rink than coaches who have.

 

[SoupNazi]

And yet according to US law, only men can be drafted to war.

Which is a law that's terribly outdated.

And what are the odds that we're ever going to have a war requiring a draft again? Not very good...but that's off-topic here.

 

[leafsfan5]

Also, we're seeing it in the NBA where women are beginning to become more active in coaching positions. Becky Hammon has been an assistant coach alongside Greg Popovich for years now. Jenny Boucek is an assistant for Dallas, Sonia Raman in Memphis, Teresa Witherspoon in New Orleans.

If it's possible there why can't it be possible here?

 

[Blender]

Show me a woman leading special forces. Or are you just referring to political officer roles?

Your line of reasoning is absurd considering the topic, but Norway's current air force commanding officer is a woman who is a major general. France had a general who became surgeon-general (she was a neurosurgeon) after being in the French resistance and later flying as a helicopter pilot in combat.

Something being uncommon due to past restrictions and cultural attitudes does not make it impossible.