‘Our profession is now expanding,’ according to Morey, who has 13 years behind Princeton bench.
VOORHEES, N.J. — Cara Morey is experienced in coaching elite men’s hockey players through her guest coaching role at the Philadelphia Flyers development camp over the past three seasons.
However, the hiring of Jessica Campbell by the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday as the first female NHL assistant coach has created new opportunities for women coaches at all levels of hockey. Campbell had previously worked as an assistant under new Kraken coach Dan Bylsma with the Coachella Valley team in the American Hockey League for the past two seasons.
“I think it’s really cool, cool for women,” said Morey, who is about to start her 14th season as the coach of the women’s hockey team at Princeton University. “She got into a good spot, they must have done a really good job, and they brought her along. It’s just really awesome to see more doors opening for us. In my profession, it started with U.S. college hockey, then expanded to Canadian college hockey, and now we have the Professional Women’s Hockey League. This development shows our profession is growing, with many more doors opening for us.”
On Wednesday, Campbell said, “Though I am honored to be the first, I don’t want to be the only,” and Morey is someone who could follow in her footsteps. Working with Flyers prospects has given her a unique perspective compared to some of her colleagues.
She has had the opportunity to interact with the Philadelphia coaching staff, including casual conversations with coach John Tortorella. What makes her the happiest now is being regarded as equal to the other Flyers development coaches, both on the ice and in meetings.
“My communication style is going to be different from a lot of the men,” she said. “I might use different words… hearing it from different voices and different ways of teaching, I think they seem to really appreciate it.
“I don’t know why I’m always surprised, but every year I’m surprised because they’ll come to me and they’re asking questions. Or now they’re just yelling across the ice like, ‘Cara, what do I do on this drill?’ So I think for them, it’s becoming quite normal.”
On Wednesday, Campbell said, “Though I am honored to be the first, I don’t want to be the only,” and Morey is someone who could follow in her footsteps. Working with Flyers prospects has given her a unique perspective compared to some of her colleagues.
She has had the opportunity to interact with the Philadelphia coaching staff, including casual conversations with coach John Tortorella. What makes her the happiest now is being regarded as equal to the other Flyers development coaches, both on the ice and in meetings.
“My communication style is going to be different from a lot of the men,” she said. “I might use different words… hearing it from different voices and different ways of teaching, I think they seem to really appreciate it.
“I don’t know why I’m always surprised, but every year I’m surprised because they’ll come to me and they’re asking questions. Or now they’re just yelling across the ice like, ‘Cara, what do I do on this drill?’ So I think for them, it’s becoming quite normal.”
