5 female GM candidates who could make history with Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s a subject that’s gaining steam in NHL circles and may soon lead to a long overdue first for the world’s top hockey league.
The NHL’s first female general manager has yet to be named, but more candidates than ever are emerging as women rise through the ranks of front offices with multiple teams and via other avenues within the hockey ecosystem. The Blue Jackets still have a GM vacancy, so the opportunity is there to make a historic hire and better their organization while doing it.
Here’s a look at five female GM candidates who could make a splash in Columbus:
Émilie Castonguay, Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager
Castonguay, 40, was hired by the Cancucks as an assistant GM in 2022 and plays key roles in handling contract negotiations and managing the team’s salary.
Prior to joining the Canucks, she was an agent with Momentum Hockey certified by the NHL Players Association. Castonguay represented forward Alexis Lafreniere prior to his selection first overall in the 2020 NHL draft, along with former NHL player Antoine Roussel and Canadian star Marie-Phillip Poulin, who’s one of the world’s best female players.
Castonguay played four years at Niagara University as a forward before former Montreal Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier hired her as an intern as her introduction into the NHL management realm. After getting her law degree, Castonguay took the hockey agency job that led to her becoming just the second assistant GM in NHL history.
"It is a big day ... an historic day,” Castonguay said, according to CBC, on the day of her introductory press conference in Vancouver. "It goes to show that women have a place in sports and in hockey. I'm starting as assistant general manager, and we’ll see where that takes me.”
Cammi Granato, Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager
Less than a month after hiring Castonguay, the Canucks hired Granato, 53, to fill another assistant GM role. Granato oversees the team’s player development and scouting departments, which are critical roles within an NHL front office.
Granato worked as a pro scout for the expansion Seattle Kraken for two years prior to joining the Canucks, becoming the first female in NHL history to hold that title. She worked for the Kraken in that capacity for two years before their inaugural season (2021-22) and caught the attention of Jim Rutherford, the Canucks’ president of hockey operations.
Granato is married to former NHL player and TV analyst Ray Ferraro, and is arguably the most successful player in her storied hockey family ― which includes three brothers who played for the University of Wisconsin and two, Tony and Don, who've made it to the NHL as player (Tony) and coach (Don). Cammi Granato played four seasons at Providence College, logged nine appearances for the U.S. at the world championships (six as team captain) and captained the U.S. in two Winter Olympics.
“I’m a team player, I grew up in a team environment from the start, and that was one of the first things (Rutherford) talked about was how collaborative we’ll all be,” Granato told NHL.com at the time of her hiring in Vancouver. "All voices will be heard on leadership, hockey ops, things that come up, and I really love that idea that we can work together, on a flat level together, and share all of our ideas. That’s really exciting and, I think, a super healthy way to run a team."
Hayley Wickenheiser, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager
Wickenheiser, 45, is in her fifth season working for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front office and second as assistant GM. She worked her way up to that spot after starting in 2018 as assistant director of player development.
Like Granato, Wickenheiser had a storied playing career that included stints at the professional, collegiate and international levels. She’s a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, IIHF Hall of Fame, led Canada to seven world championship gold medals and four consecutive Winter Olympic golds.
Wickenheiser also competed for Canada as a softball player in the Summer Olympics and was the first woman to score a goal in a men’s semi-pro league while playing in Finland. She also earned a medical degree from the University of Calgary and was still practicing medicine at the time the Maple Leafs promoted her to assistant GM in 2022. Wickenheiser’s primary role with the Maple Leafs is in player development.
“You’re seeing it in other pro sports, baseball and the NBA, this is kind of becoming old news,” Wickenheiser told CBC in 2021, after becoming the Maple Leafs’ senior director of player development. “It's about going after the best person qualified for the job. That looks a little different than it did 10 years ago because people's mindsets have changed.”
Danielle Goyette, Toronto Maple Leafs director of player development
Goyette, 58, is in her third year working with the Maple Leafs after Wickenheiser hired her in 2021 to work in a key player development role. As a player, she skated 12 years with Canada’s women’s national team, winning goal medals in eight world championships and competing in three Winter Olympics – taking home Olympic gold twice.
Like Wickenheiser, she’s a member of both the Hockey Hall of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame. Goyette was named head coach of the women’s program at the University of Calgary in 2007 and held that role for 14 years before joining the Maple Leafs.
Wickenheiser played for Goyette in college and with Canadian national teams that won two Olympic golds (2002, 2006) plus six world championship golds.
“What I knew I needed in this role was someone who is incredibly organized off the ice with the ability to manage a lot of moving targets and factors, and someone who understands the development of players physically, psychologically and emotionally, which she's done as a university coach with about the same demographic as the player we work with here,” Wickenheiser told CBC in 2021 about hiring Goyette. “(Also) ... the ability to step on the ice tomorrow and work with an Auston Matthews or a John Tavares and not be an intimidating situation, which I think Danielle has also done in the off-season, when she’s not working with (college players). She’s running (summer) groups for NHL players.”
Meghan Hunter, Chicago Blackhawks assistant general manager
Mark Hunter has been connected to the Blue Jackets as a GM possibility by Canadian-based NHL insiders ever since Jarmo Kekalainen was fired.
Perhaps the Blue Jackets should pick a different apple from the Hunter family tree and give Meghan, his niece, a closer look. Meghan Hunter, 42, has steadily worked her way up through hockey operations roles ever since her uncles, Mark and Dale, hired her as director of group sales for the London Knights junior team they own and operate in the Ontario Hockey League.
Hunter had played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin and coached for both the University of Niagara and University of Maine before returning to London to be closer to her family. She welcomed the opportunity to get back into hockey and started her ascent into an NHL front office role. After working with Hockey Canada for six years as manager of hockey operations and national teams, she joined the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant to then-GM Stan Bowman.
She’s been in Chicago ever since, marrying her wife, Jill, and working her way up the ladder in roles as director of hockey administration and amateur scout before a promotion in 2022 to assistant GM. During her career stops, Hunter has observed and participated in virtually every facet of player and program development.
“I hope I can continue to drive opportunities for women in hockey and society,” Hunter wrote for HockeyCanada.ca in 2021. “Growing up, I could have never imagined it could be possible to have the jobs I’ve had. I’ve never thought of myself as a pioneer or role model, but giving visibility to women in an NHL organization is something I’m very proud of. I’m excited to continue to push the envelope in my career and grind my way to a Stanley Cup.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 female candidates the Columbus Blue Jackets could hire as GM
