Written by Jeff Dieffenbach at AZCentral.com
Coyotes have hired Dawn Braid as skating coach, as she becomes what is believed to be the first full-time female coach in NHL history.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity with the Coyotes,” Braid said. “I’m looking forward to working with Dave Tippett and his coaching staff and all the great players in the organization.
“It’s something that I’ve wanted to see happen. 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.”
Braid worked part-time for the Coyotes last year and has served as a skating consultant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames.
Braid also spent seven years with the Athletes Training Center as director of skating development. Among the skaters she worked with while there is New York Islanders center John Tavares.
“Dawn has wanted to put me in to make myself a more powerful and efficient skater,” Tavares told NHL.com in 2012. “Dawn always says, ‘If you didn’t train properly and do the certain things you need to do, you’re not going to be strong enough to do the things I want you to do.'”
The Coyotes also added Mike Van Ryn and Steve Potvin to the coaching staff. Van Ryn will serve as the Coyotes’ development coach while Potvin was named the team’s skills coach.
Wednesday, though, was mostly about the Coyotes furthering the evolution of female coaching in pro sports.
“We feel that Dawn can provide a real competitive advantage for our team,” Coyotes General Manager John Chayka said Wednesday. “The game is getting faster and it’s all about skating. A lot of times when you’re drafting a young player, skating is an area that they need to improve upon.
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