Jessica Campbell becomes first female coach in NHL history with Seattle Kraken

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

The Seattle Kraken assistant coach made her debut on the bench in the NHL regular season opener against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday (8 October). Although the Kraken went on to lose 3-2, it will remain a monumental day in the history of the sport.

Campbell said via the team, “For me, it’s just a normal day in terms of my work, in terms of my routine, in terms of all of those pieces. I never want to diminish the things that I’m doing because I’m so focused on the task at hand, but I also know that being focused on the task at hand has allowed me to get to this moment and is going to continue.

“But I think the moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench…I’m really going to try to honor what it is, because I know, and I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game.”

Campbell has been coaching since 2017, beginning in the youth leagues of her native Canada before moving to Sweden and the Malmo Redhawks for a season.