Who was the first female coach in the NHL?

Jessica Campbell has made history in ice hockey by becoming the first-ever female to coach a game in NHL history.

The former Canadian international player made her debut as a coach on the bench in an NHL match on October 8, after being appointed assistant coach of the Seattle Kraken in July 2024.

Even though the Kraken lost 3-2 in the regular season opener against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, this would remain a momentous day in the history of the sport.

Campbell said via the team that it was just another “normal” day for her in terms of work.

However, she did acknowledge the magnitude and importance of the moment.

Campbell has been coaching since 2017, starting out with the youth leagues of her native Canada, before moving to Sweden and the Malmo Redhawks for one season.

The 32-year-old is a native of Melville, Saskatchewan, in Canada.

Dan Bylsma,  the head coach for the Seattle Kraken, hired Campbell as an assistant coach in July.

She played boys’ hockey until she was 17 and was a star at Cornell University.

In four seasons with the Big Red from 2010-2014, Campbell tallied 46 goals and 54 assists across 131 games, where served as the captain.

Cornell went 112-20-7 during her tenure, winning three Ivy League titles, making four NCAA Tournaments and reaching two Frozen Fours.

Following her college ice hockey career, Campbell played three seasons in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno.

In 2017, Campbell hung up the skates before returning to the ice for a brief stint in Sweden during the 2019-20 season.

She also represented Canada at the international level.

Campbell won a silver with Canada’s U18 squad at the 2009 world junior championships before leading the team to gold the next year.

She went on to play for the Canadian national team in 2010 and served as the captain. She also earned the 2010 tournament MVP honors.

Campbell won silver later with Canada at the 2015 World Championship.