Arizona Coyotes Hire Dawn Braid as First Full-Time Female NHL Coach

The Arizona Coyotes have hired Dawn Braid as the first female full-timer on their coaching staff, making her the NHL’s first full-time female coach.

The team announced Wednesday that Braid was added as the Coyotes full-time skating coach, after joining the franchise on a part-time basis last year. Previously, Braid worked as a skating consultant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames.

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to see happen,” Braid told the NHL. “The fact that they respect what I do enough to name me as a full-time coach, or to name me as the first female coach in the NHL, I take a ton of pride in that. I’ve worked very hard for this opportunity. It’s been going on for years and I just look forward to going even further with it.”

A number of women have worked for the NHL as skating consultants, including Barb Underhill, Laura Stamm and Cathy Andrade, Sports Illustrated reported.