History at climate pledge

Tonight marked a historic milestone for women's sports and aspiring female coaches everywhere. On October 8, 2024, as the Seattle Kraken kicked off their NHL season, they also made history by welcoming the first woman ever to coach in an NHL game: Jessica Campbell.

Campbell's coaching journey began after she retired from Canada's national team in 2017. Since then, she has consistently shattered barriers. In 2022, she became the first woman to hold a full-time coaching position behind the bench in the AHL when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Now, with Dan Bylsma promoted to head coach of the Seattle Kraken, Campbell has been hired as an assistant coach, making her the first woman to coach behind the bench in NHL history. While the significance of her hiring cannot be understated, Bylsma emphasized that his decision was based on finding the best coach for the job — and that was Jessica Campbell. With her impressive résumé, including multiple medals as a professional player, she was the obvious choice.

I’d like to extend my gratitude to Jessica Campbell for continuing to break the glass ceiling for women in hockey and in sports at large. Her words of pride in being the first, but certainly not the last, resonate deeply. To all the young girls aspiring to a career in professional sports, we now have a trailblazer to look up to.

Thank you for breaking barriers. As always support your collegiate sports, go Dawgs, go Kraken,

L