None of this attention has been lost on Jessica Campbell, an assistant with the Seattle Kraken and the NHL’s first full-time female coach.
She’ll constantly be in demand by the media — especially in Original Six NHL cities like Montreal — and will attract a phalanx of reporters, as she did on Monday morning at the Bell Centre before Tuesday night’s game between the Kraken and Canadiens. Team management even made Campbell available before head coach Dan Bylsma, knowing it was her, not him, who was the star attraction on this day.
“There’s a great opportunity in this, in this time,” said the 32-year-old Campbell, facing a crush of tape recorders, microphones and cameras outside the dressing room. “I think it’s important to talk about how this is special for the game. I think it’s a movement in the right direction. I’m proud to be part of that change.
“Any time you see something different there’s usually attention (paid) to it. I also think doing things differently leads to expansion and growth. Obviously it challenges people to think differently, I think, in a positive direction. I’ve been very fortunate for my chair to be pulled up to the table and be invited into this space. Obviously the attention is what it is, but I’m really just focused on being a coach.”
While her gender makes Campbell a natural story, the native of Rocanville, Sask., paid her dues as both a player and coach.
She played NCAA at Cornell before launching a pro career in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League while representing Canada on the national team. Campbell was an assistant coach on the under-18 women’s national team before coaching in Sweden and Germany.
Her big break arguably came two years ago in the AHL, an assistant with Coachella Valley, the Kraken’s affiliate, where she worked under Bylsma. When Seattle hired Bylsma last May, it seemed only natural for him to ask Campbell to tag along. As was the case in the AHL, she’s in charge of the forwards and power play.
Seattle, on a three-game losing streak, has a 4-4-1 record.
“As a coach, her ability to communicate with the players, relate with the players, get in on the ground (floor) and work on their games, identify what they can get better at and improve upon to be at their best,” said Bylsma, who coached Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup in 2009 and also worked with Buffalo.
“For two years at CV she did a great job of that. I have full confidence she can do it at the National Hockey League level.”
Campbell might have thought an NHL position was possible at one point, but not behind a team’s bench. Instead, as the owner of a power-skating school, she believed a team might hire her to improve skating and skill development. Her clients have included former Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson, Tyler Jost and Olympic gold medallist Natalie Spooner.
“I entered into this industry more as a skating and skills coach. That was my expertise and background,” Campbell admitted. “I’d seen other female skating coaches (in pro hockey) and there was visibility around that. When I got to Germany there was a niche to combine the two. The team was in a tougher spot on the offensive side and the power play was struggling. The next thing I know I’m behind the bench. Getting to this position was unlocked at that moment. I saw, when I connected the dots for the players, they could go out and get results.”
While familiarity with Seattle forwards Shane Wright and Tye Kartye, who worked under Campbell in the AHL, helped the transition, other Kraken players speak glowingly of her work ethic and passion for the game. Campbell was a communications major at Cornell, which undoubtedly helps her deliver the message.
“I think her story is tremendous, how she’s doing and what she’s bringing to hockey,” said forward Yanni Gourde, the father of two girls. “It’s amazing … the way she’s handling everything. She’s a great communicator and a very detailed coach.”
“We have no issue going in and talking to her,” added Kraken leading scorer Jared McCann. “She’s great working with us and seeing our side of it. She’s a coach to us, no matter what her gender is. It doesn’t really matter. She’s been great for us.”
Campbell realizes she’s both a pioneer and role model for those who might one day follow, knowing the NHL has been slower than Major League Baseball, the NBA and even the NFL to realize it might be possible to think outside the box. She takes pride in her work and has been humbled to be put in this position. But she also believes she’s also just another coach, seeking ways for her team and its players to improve.
“I come to work and put on my skates the same way as my counterparts,” she said. “I focus on the job but understand the weight and the representation that comes with charting a path for others. There’s definitely a responsibility in this opportunity. We’re speaking the language of hockey at the end of the day. I’m just focused on being a coach.
“I don’t see why we can’t have a female head coach in the NHL some day.”