Jessica Campbell and Emily Engel Natzke made history after becoming the first two female coaches to face off in the NHL.
Jessica Campbell and Emily Engel Natzke make history in the NHL
The Washington capital extended its lead at the top of the Metropolitan division with a 3-0 victory over Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.
However, during the game, history was made as the Capitals video coach. Emily Engel Natzke and Kraken’s assistant coach Jessica Campbell became the first female coach to face off in the NHL.
Making History is nothing new to the duo, with Capitals video coaches secured their first full-time coaching job for women in the NHL and being hired in 2022.
For Campbell, she became the first woman to play a coaching role on the NHL side bench, and the two have made great strides for women in the sport of ice hockey.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry spoke about the historic event before the match and praised both parties for their role in the sport.
He said: “It’s incredible. What they’ve achieved in their careers is very impressive. EM is the first coach at this level in the NHL and Jessica is the first bench coach.
“That’s great, not only will future women be able to take on those roles, but they can only do this man-dominated industry.
“It’s really impressive to show their skill set and how they can perform their duties at the highest level in the world, and they’re supposed to be A. You’re really, really proud, but you know what’s coming in the future.
Carbery has praised his video coach Engel Natzke on multiple occasions this year, particularly after an offside challenge with the New York Rangers.
As for Campbell, her career in the sport began during a play day with Calgary Inferno and now makes up a large part of the professional women’s hockey league.
In fact, Kraken’s assistant coach announced the Boston Fleet’s starting lineup and dropped the first pack to highlight her presence in the PWHL.
