By the new year, Ottawa will ice one of the ‘original six’ franchises in the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) inaugural season.
With training camp set to begin in November, the league is materializing quickly. On Sept. 18, PWHL Ottawa’s general manager Mike Hirshfeld and head coach Carla MacLeod selected an initial roster of 18 players at the league’s inaugural draft.
After spending the past seven years at the helm of the NHL Coaches’ Association, Hirshfeld brings plenty of legal and financial expertise to the GM’s chair.
MacLeod is a highly decorated defender with a long hockey resume including two Olympic gold medals. MacLeod’s coaching career has brought her from the Czech and Japanese national teams to the University of Calgary Dinos.
The Charlatan spoke with Hirshfeld and MacLeod shortly after the draft about the future of Ottawa’s newest team and women’s hockey.
The Charlatan (TC): What does it mean to you to be named the first-ever head coach of Ottawa’s PWHL team?
Carla MacLeod (CM): You pinch yourself because it’s like, how am I in this position? How did I get this opportunity? It’s incredible to know that I’ll play a small part in helping Ottawa push for championships.
(TC): As a former player, what do you think it means to the players to have this new league?
CM: Well, I can assure you, this is not a new goal and a new dream. This has been a real slow build for a long, long time. When that puck drops for our inaugural game, I’ll be thinking of the women before us that have really done some heavy lifting. I think of Mel Davidson and what she’s done for the game, not only in Canada, but internationally. Those are the people that come to my mind because I’m so proud and happy for them that we’re finally here. I know this generation of players are going to drive this thing and make sure it’s something that will be long-standing.
(TC): What do you think this league is going to mean for young women in hockey?
CM: It’s gonna have a profound impact. There’s no doubt about it. The opportunity for everyone to see the best players in our game playing in the league together will only inspire the next generation’s dreams.
(TC): What makes the PWHL different from previous pro women’s leagues?
CM: Well, it’s exactly that – it’s professional. You look at who’s behind it [the ownership group, who have established a collective bargaining agreement], who’s been hired to run the league and who’s been hired to run the franchises. This is a different field than any league established prior. Having said that, I think every league was established with the best of intentions and did so much good to push the game to this point.
(TC): You signed three players prior to the draft. How have you made Ottawa an attractive place for players to choose?
Mike Hirshfeld (MH): It was fairly easy. I think we’ve put together a good story about Ottawa and why we think it’s a great place to play. Obviously, a great hockey city and we think the facilities are the best in the league. And again, we’ve hired a great head coach. So we feel like our story was very compelling.
(TC): You picked defenders with your first three picks in the draft. What was the approach to your roster construction?
MH: We really focused on defence early on. We felt that was where there was a shortage. We wanted to make sure that we locked in six good defenders. So that was a focus, particularly in the first round. We took two defenders back-to-back. [MacLeod] really wanted a pair that could be a lockdown pair against the rest of the league. So that was our focus. We felt there was a lot more depth on the forward side. We’re really excited about how our roster looks.
CM: I think we’re going to be a well-rounded hockey team. Every franchise has their philosophy, every franchise has their approach. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong by any means. For us, to get Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner and Emerance Maschmeyer, we already have some key pieces in place. This league is going to have parity and every night is going to be a hard-fought game. Just trying to balance that and understanding that you’re going to need defenders that can skate and play at an elite level, for us, was obviously a priority.
(TC): How are you building a best-in-class organization?
MH: When I say best-in-class, I don’t actually mean winning a championship. What we’re trying to do is provide our athletes with the best resources we can. Whether it’s strength and conditioning, a nutritionist, a sports psychologist, [or] cutting edge technology, we’re trying to support them and give them the resources to grow and get better. Obviously, winning is an aspect of that, but to me, it’s about the culture of our organization. We want to create an organization where people feel welcome, safe, comfortable and want to come to work. It’s so much more than winning. Everyone wants to win, but we’re trying to do it the right way, our way.
(TC): Do you have any updates on a potential team name or brand identity?
MH: No, it will all be coming out in the next month, I believe. I’m trusting the experts on this. I’m sure they’ll do an excellent job. That’s an important part of an organization. But, experts who understand branding have much more experience in it. So for me to chime in, it just doesn’t make any sense.
CM: If I had a shred of a hint, I’d give it to you. I’m honestly in the exact same boat as everyone else. There’s a little bit of a hint, maybe the team colours were on the cards on the draft table. All I know is we’re Ottawa and I’m still thrilled with that.
(TC): PWHL Ottawa is set to play at TD Place Arena at Lansdowne in January. How will this central location be an advantage to attracting new viewers?
CM: We’re really thrilled that we’re going to be at TD Place. The proximity, the location of it — I think a lot of things have aligned to give us an opportunity to really build out a fan base that can be quite electric in that building. I think the energy around the city feels quite infectious right now. I think there’s an energy in the city that we’ll be joining. Certainly, from our end, we’re thrilled to be in Ottawa.
(TC): How are you planning on attracting fans and attention to the women’s game in Ottawa and beyond?
MH: There’s lots of ways. First of all, the three players that we signed. I mean, Jenner is one of the greatest players of her generation, so I think that’s exciting to see her play. Clark and Maschmeyer are great players, but also great people who will, I think, integrate and make themselves part of the community.
And we’ve had incredible momentum already since the league started a month ago. If you look at Twitter, we have the most followers of any of the six cities. That speaks to the community in Ottawa and the hockey culture. So, you put all of that together and I feel there’s a real opportunity for us to grow and attract a new fan base. I think women’s sports is right on the verge of explosion and we’re looking forward to taking advantage of some of that momentum.
MH: We’re not there yet, but I talked to [Ottawa Senators head coach] D.J. Smith when I got the job. I know D.J. from when I ran the coaches’ association. I also talked to [Ottawa 67’s head coach] David Cameron, who I know as well. We’re fortunate we get to leverage off of what the 67’s have done, and they’ve really opened their arms to us.
CM: We’re really thrilled that we’re going to be in TD Place. We have the opportunity to align with the 67’s in a lot of ways as well. They’ve been incredibly welcoming to us in ensuring that what we need to be successful is at our disposal. We couldn’t ask for a better home. It’s gonna be two groups under one roof trying to achieve excellence, at the end of the day.
Interviews were conducted separately and have been edited for clarity and length. Featured image provided by PWHL.
