We are proud to announce the six inaugural General Managers of the PWHL!
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) September 1, 2023
Learn more about our GMs ⤵️
📰 https://t.co/6qhYZM7WqH pic.twitter.com/JoqYnfqYDY
Gina Kingsbury, drenched in medals as a player and a manager with Team Canada, is reported to be new GM of the Toronto team in the PWHL.
Kingsbury, from Saskatchewan but raised in Quebec, is 41, and played centre on two Olympic goal-medal-winning teams in 2006 and 2010. She also has three IIHF World Championship golds and three silvers. She was a point per game player at St. Lawrence University in the NCAA, and is in their Hall of Fame.
After the NCAA, she played in the CWHL and the WWHL, meaning she knows the history of women's leagues and the alphabet soup of attempts that fell short.
After her playing career, she coached for a time in the CWHL and then in 2018, she was chosen to take on the management of Team Canada's senior women's team. She was the Director of Hockey Operations at the 2022 Olympics, and all World Championships from 2018 - 2023.
In 2018, Canada placed a disappointing second at the Olympics and Kingsbury took over a team that needed change. Rock bottom came the next year, however, when her team only managed a bronze at Worlds. With the 2020 event cancelled, Canada waited a year to win gold in 2021 and 2022 and silver this year along with Olympic gold in 2022.
The team now, is the best Team Canada that has ever been.
In the spring of this year, the new management at Hockey Canada promoted Kingsbury to VP of Hockey Operations, which made her part of the management group for all the teams: men, women and para. In the summer of this year, she was part of the management group for the men's U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The Toronto team in the PWHL has found a star to lead them, with some of the most iron-clad hockey management credentials there are.
Other GMs reported to be hired are:
Calling around it sounds like the PWHL GM's we're looking at are...
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) September 1, 2023
Toronto - Gina Kingsbury
Ottawa - Michael Hirshfeld
Montreal - Daniele Sauvageau
Minnesota - Natalie Darwitz
Boston - Danielle Marmer
New York – ???
Michael Hirschfeld is head of the NHL Coach's Association and was recently interviewed for a job with the Flyers. He has a business background in the finance industry.
Daniele Sauvageau is well, Daniele Sauvageau, and the arms race with Montreal is a go. She was head coach of the Olympic team under Kingsbury, worked with the PWHPA, and has been in management at the University of Montreal team and coached Team Canada's women to their first gold medal back in 2002.
Natalie Darwitz is a Saint Paul native and absolute star of Team USA going back years. She has extensive coaching experience in the NCAA.
Danielle Marmer is an American NCAA player who has worked in management with Quinnipiac and more recently spent a season as a scout for the Boston Bruins.
Pascal Daoust takes over in New York, with a background in management in QMJHL.
More here:
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