True ambassadors of their sport, Courtney Birchard-Kessel, Tara Watchorn and Stefanie McKeough made history by forming the first all-female coaching staff in the U18 program
On the ice, Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team swept all three games against the United States for the first time since 2007 as part of their summer series. But behind the bench, another page of history has been written thanks to the coaching staff.
Head coach Courtney Birchard-Kessel and her assistants Stefanie McKeough and Tara Watchorn formed the first all-female coaching staff in the history of Canada’s women’s U18 program. Without neglecting the importance of performance against the Americans, the fact remains that the impact of the series on the development of women’s hockey goes well beyond the ice.
“There is a great momentum at the moment for women who are involved in training, supports Watchorn. Thanks to pioneers like Hayley Wickenheiser and Caroline Ouellette, we have the pleasure of seeing women who invest themselves as coaches, and it is now possible to make a career out of it, when it was extremely difficult to do so. previously. I really like to see this transition where a generation of players who have had a career in hockey can now aspire to get a job in coaching. »
Adding to this achievement is the fact that all three members of the coaching staff are National Women’s Program alumni who have walked the ice together at various camps and events over the past 15 years. They notably tasted gold with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2011 MLP Cup, the only event where they represented their country on the same team.
Together, the three have a background of 183 games on the international scene. Birchard-Kessel took part in three editions of the IIHF World Women’s Championship, winning gold in 2012, Watchorn became an Olympic gold medalist in 2014, in addition to appearing at the Women’s Worlds three times, and McKeough was part of Canada’s roster at the 2009 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.
This reunion behind the bench for the national program thus takes on a particular color for the three hockey players.
“Our three paths have crossed paths so often during our playing careers, and we have a lot of experiences and values learned along the way that we share,” says Watchorn. In the case of the U18s, they are rather young and, for many of them, it is an initiation into the world of high performance. So we are able to understand these sources of anxiety and take them into account. They’re told to just focus on the moment and enjoy the time they have with their teammates, because it only makes them better. »
Watchorn always wanted to be a coach. Already, during her illustrious career as a player, marked by the Olympic Games, the Women’s Worlds and a Clarkson Cup victory with the Boston Blades in the CWHL in 2015, Watchorn knew that she wanted to pass on her positive experiences to the hockey.
“I’m so lucky to have been able to immerse myself in cultures and draw inspiration from teams that have truly changed my life,” said the Newcastle, Ont., native coach, who is the first-ever driver in the women’s program at the Stonehill College, “and so I want to recreate such environments and cultures for other young women who can grow, be inspired, push their limits and become leaders who can make their mark. »
Playing hockey does not necessarily lead to a training course, but it is a transition that sometimes ends up taking place by dint of bathing in the environment. After hanging up her skates following a five-year collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin (where she won the NCAA national title in 2011), McKeough never expected it to be the training that ends up occupying his free time.
But her career as a player led her to Sweden, where she got hooked after being introduced to this job. To this day, McKeough says she is still surprised to show up at the arena as a full-time coach.
“Hockey players are first and foremost human,” said the Carlsbad Springs, Ont., native. I’ve learned through coaching that you have to help the person first before you help the player, and being able to support others is something that motivates me every day at the arena. »
An assistant coach at the University of Ottawa, McKeough has the opportunity to learn from veteran U SPORTS coaches like Vicky Sunohara (Toronto), Rachel Flanagan (Guelph) and Chelsea Grills, the head coach of the Gee- Gees, women she meets on a daily basis in the context of her work. They served as role models for McKeough first as a player and now in her coaching role.
“In fact, Vicky was one of my coaches at my first U18 camp, and Rachel was an assistant coach during one of my years with the U22 team. Now that I work alongside them, I can appreciate even more what they accomplish as coaches.
“By having very real role models, I was able to continue to develop these bonds with other coaches and players. »
The growth and visibility of women in coaching and in leadership positions is only growing. Just this summer, Hockey Canada alum Jessica Campbell was hired as an assistant coach by the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL, Laura Fortino, who had a long career as a defenseman with the team national, got the same role for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, and 2022 Olympic gold medalists Marie-Philip Poulin and Rebecca Johnston have accepted player development positions with the Montreal Canadiens and Flames respectively. from Calgary.
“Diverse leadership is priceless,” says Watchorn. It’s essential to be able to take advantage of everyone’s different backgrounds and build relationships with the players. It takes very real models. »