NHL & NHLPA celebrate gender equality on and off the ice
March 19, 2021
In honor of this month's focus on women's history and gender equality, the NHL and NHLPA are recognizing women from across the hockey community, on and off the ice, as part of its Hockey is for Everyone™ initiative.
Under the banner 'Celebrating the Women Who Make Hockey Happen Every Day,' more than 200 women - from Zamboni machine drivers to referees to players - are being featured across the league's social platforms and on a special microsite. Through Hockey is for Everyone,™ the leauge reinforces that hockey is a sport of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands.
Two special video features tell the story of women who paved a unique path to professional hockey. The first focuses on Blake Bolden, a professional player and currently a scout with the Los Angeles Kings. Bolden is a pioneer for women in hockey who has achieved many ‘firsts,’ including being the first Black professional hockey player in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). She is also one of the first female scouts at the League.
The second features NHL Vice President of Events Chie Chie Yard who shares her journey from an intern to one of the most influential members of the NHL Events department. Yard, a Japanese American, played for Team Japan in the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first-year women’s ice hockey was part of the Winter Games. She can now be found behind the scenes at every major NHL event including the NHL Winter Classic®, NHL® All-Star Weekend, NHL Awards™ and outdoor games.
The League also unveiled a list of more than 200 women who are in senior leadership roles at the NHLPA, NHL and its 32 Member Clubs. More than 25% of the women listed are in C-Suite positions, at least six are owners or part of their team's ownership group and at least 14% are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color).
"Our celebration of women leaders on and off the ice is a year-round initiative, but we are excited to give it a special spotlight during Gender Equality Month," said Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs.
The NHL & NHLPA Female Hockey Advisory Committee, which was established in 2019, has continued its dedication to accelerating the growth of female hockey in North America and ensuring more women and girls have the opportunity to experience the benefits that hockey offers. Since its launch, the committee has built a resource package for every NHL Club to increase local engagement with the female hockey community. The committee also created the Female Ambassador Program, with support from the Industry Growth Fund, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, aimed at increasing appearances of female hockey players and ambassadors at events.
On March 23, as part of Future Goals™ Hockey Scholar, the NHL and NHLPA will host an 'NHL Women in STEM' event for hundreds of middle-school boys and girls across North America to learn about the various STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) hockey career opportunities.
"The diversity of talent leads our sport into the future every day. We know that these storytelling efforts will empower women and girls throughout the hockey ecosystem to continue bringing their full, authentic selves to every aspect of our sport," stated Davis.