Kate Madigan was promoted to assistant general manager by the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, becoming the fifth woman to hold the position.
Madigan Emily Castongwe and Camy Granato (Vancouver Canucks), Meghan Hunter (Chicago Blackhawks) and Haley Wickenheiser (Toronto Maple Leafs) have joined the NHL as new assistant general managers.
Earlier this year, there was only one woman in NHL history as an assistant general manager; In the 1996-97 season, Angela Gorgon joined Anaheim Ducks.
This is a historic off-season for the NHL to diversify into hockey operations divisions. On Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks appointed Mike Greer, making him the first black general manager in league history.
On the same day, Jessica Campbell became the first woman behind a bench in the AHL or NHL, when she was hired as an assistant coach at Coachla Valley Firebirds – Seattle Kraken’s top affiliated company. Washington Capitals promoted Emily Angel-Natzke as video coach, making her the first woman to hold a full-time position on the NHL coaching staff.
With most of the initiatives led by Kim Davis, who joined the NHL in 2017 and served as the league’s vice president of social impact, development initiatives and legislative affairs, the NHL has focused on becoming more inclusive over the past few years. We do Davis is a close adviser to Commissioner Gary Bateman, who has expressed a desire to see diversity in the game among both his fans, players and staff.
“We can make a difference in people’s lives because we have the platform,” Bateman said at the NHL’s inaugural Diversity Summit in 2019. “But I also think it’s our responsibility to make the best people as a sport. What we all have in common does not set us apart. To understand that some elements of society are left behind, we have the opportunity to grow and bring more people together. ” ,
The Devils now have two senior women in their front office after Meghan Duggan was promoted to director of player development last month.
Madigan, who holds a degree in business administration and accounting from the Northeast, joined the Devils in 2017. She grew up in the front office in New Jersey, most recently as executive director of hockey management / operations. According to the Devils, Madigan will now be part of a smaller group on which General Manager Tom Fitzgerald will lean for key inputs, policy and decision making.
“Kate has been an incredibly valuable resource not only for me, but for our entire hockey operations leadership staff, especially for the past three years, as part of hockey’s major decisions,” Fitzgerald said. “This promotion is a reflection of the duties and responsibilities accepted in our organization at that time. I want his hard work, integrity, attention to detail, ability to communicate with all employees, strategy and vision to be my leadership qualities. ”