What if I told you there was a New Jersey Devils coaching candidate who was an Olympic Gold Medalist, a seven-time IIHF World Champion, a former NCAA hockey coach, a player development executive, and a member of the NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee? Would you be interested in interviewing that candidate?
Surely, the answer is surely yes.
Those qualifications belong to Meghan Duggan, the legendary US Women’s Hockey player and the current Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Devils. Before joining the Devils, she was the captain of the United States Woman Hockey team and an assistant coach on the Clarkson University women’s hockey team.
It’s unknown if Duggan would be interested in the head coaching role, one that would come with tremendous scrutiny in a tough media market. But if she is, the Devils would be foolish not to consider hiring her.
Duggan was hired as the Devils Director of Player Development in May 2021. At the time of the announcement, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald showered Duggan with praise.
“Her successful track record as a teammate, leader, captain, and driver of initiatives will be a resource to all players in our organization,” Fitzgerald said. “We look forward to her utilizing her perspective of the game, attention to detail, and creative thinking to help our players reach their potential.”
Duggan served as the coach of one of the teams at this year’s PWHL Showcase at the NHL All-Star Game. Admittedly, this is not the highest coaching honor one can achieve, but it displays an interest in coaching and a desire to be a public-facing representative of the Devils organization.
The Devils need a fresh voice in the locker room to combat the stale, tired leadership of Lindy Ruff and, more recently, Travis Greene. They need a spark to reignite them heading into next season. Duggan would be a completely different type of voice from what the team has grown used to.
Women have started to trailblaze a path toward NHL coaching positions over the past few seasons. Former Canadian national team player Jessica Campbell is a full-time assistant coach for the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds on head coach Dan Bylsma’s staff. Bylsma is another coach who has been floated as a potential replacement for Ruff.
However, no woman has yet been hired by an NHL team as an assistant coach or head coach. So if the Devils were to hire Duggan in the role, she would be entering truly uncharted territory.
That’s not to say she would be…
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