Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes made history Wednesday, history that had nothing to do with the longevity they’ve had playing a winter sport literally in the middle of a desert.

Nope, for the first time since the NHL‘s inception in 1917, they became the first franchise to employ a female coach full-time.

According to the Coyotes’ team website, Dawn Braid will be retained on a full-time basis this upcoming season working as a skating coach, something she started with Arizona last season but on a part-time basis.

Braid begins a full-time role with the Coyotes after joining the franchise on a part-time basis in 2015. She has previously worked 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 its director of skating development where she instructed a variety of skaters including New York Islanders center John Tavares.

Considering it’s 2016 I guess it’s a little surprising it’s taken almost 100 years for something like this to happen. Hopefully Braid can break more barriers for women in the sport.