ESPN reported that 10 women have been added to the American Hockey League roster in order to officiate this season's games. This historic move opens the door for a woman to one day officiate in National Hockey League.
Katie Guay will get the first assignment, refereeing an Oct. 16 game between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Guay will be the first woman to referee in the AHL, which is the NHL's top development league. Kelly Cook, Samantha Hiller and Jacqueline Zee Howard will all be appearing as AHL referees. Alexandra Clarke and Kendall Hanley will make their debuts as linespersons.
Stephen Walkom, NHL director for officiating, has been making a concerted effort over the years to increase his recruitment efforts in order to maintain a talent pool of officials. Walkom has reached out to former players and current players.
Walkom stated that "we believe it's important that the game of hockey attracts like-minded individuals that are great athletes to pursue officiating," Walkom said to ESPN. It's amazing that these women will be the pioneers in professional men's hockey. We believe that there are many women playing hockey who will, hopefully, consider giving back when they retire. Because most of the future great officials are currently on the bench. I hope that this encourages people to take the plunge and realize there is a lot of potential out there.
All 10 officials have experience at all levels including the Olympics and World Championships in men's and ladies' college hockey, and, for some, in NHL prospect tournes. Clarke was the only woman to have taken part in the NHL Officiating Association Mentorship Program.
Both the NFL and NBA have female officials in their teams. The NHL hopes to follow their lead.
Scott Howson, president of the AHL, stated that it was time. "We are a development league so it's important to give these women the chance to succeed and allow them to grow their careers. It's great that our fans can see it. These women set an example for young women around the world that sports are open to everyone, at any position.
In December 2020, the NHL and NHL Officiating mentorship program began for elite women's officials. The NHL partnered with USA Hockey Canada and Hockey Canada to identify 48 women who could participate in the mentorship program across North America. Retired and current NHL officials led the weekly Zoom sessions. The group discussed video, including communication with players and coaches, pregame preparation and dealing with adversity. These sessions were continued informally throughout the 2020-21 season.
Guay was among four women who worked an NHL prospect tournament in 2019. This marked the first NHL-affiliated event where women have ever officiated. Guay stated that people notice she is a woman as soon as she steps on the ice. This is mostly due to her visible ponytail from underneath her helmet.
Guay stated to ESPN that the hope is that our skill will not distinguish us from other guys. "At the end, you want your skill to be unnoticed. Hopefully the ponytail won't change peoples' perceptions of our performance."
Cooke was also the first woman to officiate an NHL Prospect Tournament. Cooke said that she hopes to inspire other women to take up officiating and give back to hockey by being on the ice.
Cooke stated to ESPN that it was just an issue of exposure. Officiating was not a viable option for women. When I was playing, I didn't think of officiating as an option. You wouldn't think about it if you didn't see any women out there."
Because of the condensed season, the NHL put a hiring freeze on NHL officials last year. Walkom stated that this allowed them to complete two years worth of promotions and hirings. This season, the AHL will have 10 female callers. They will be "scouted a lot" like any other official in the American Hockey League. AHL officials are not expected to reach the NHL in a specific time frame. They can be called up after just one season, five, six, or even none at all. The NHL selects its officials based upon their ability.
Walkom stated that all of these women are worthy to be where they currently are. "And as any official who wants to move on, the requirements are the same: They must first conquer the American Hockey League, one game at a.m.
