Coyotes hire Dawn Braid, making her first full-time female coach in NHL

The Arizona Coyotes made a groundbreaking move Wednesday, hiring Dawn Braid as their skating coach, making her the first full-time female coach in the NHL.

Braid has been with the Coyotes on a part-time basis for a number of years and was part of the team’s development camp.

Her other previous work in the NHL was as a consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. She has also spent time as a part-time skating coach and the director of skating development at Athletes Training Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

Past clients of Braid include New York Islanders captain John Tavares and San Jose Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski. Braid is known for correcting Tavares’ skating, even using before-and-after photos from 2008 and 2012 of the two-time All-Star to show improvement to clients.

“It’s unbelievable the difference my skating has made. It’s instrumental,” Tavares told NHL.com in 2012. “It has changed my game to not just be a skill player, but to be an overall player, a more dynamic player.”

The Arizona Cardinals made a similar move last summer, hiring Jen Welter as an assistant coaching intern for training camp and making her the first female coach in the NFL.

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