A hockey league in Atlantic Canada is on a hiring spree to bring more women into the operations side of the game. "These opportunities should be there no matter whether you're a man or a woman," said Troy Dumville, president of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. "That's our goal, to create those chances." On Friday the league announced it's trying to recruit women into ten open positions in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I., mostly as assistant coaches and talent scouts.
The jobs come with small salaries. But Dumville says they are a crucial stepping stone toward full-time employment in hockey operations, an area traditionally dominated by men.
Dumville says the new hires will attend monthly online lectures delivered by a group of experts he's recruited to advise and encourage them.
Among those experts is Cheryl MacDonald, a professor at Saint Mary's University's Centre for Sport and Health. She's studied masculinity in hockey for over a decade. "Making sure that they are supported throughout their experience is what's really special about this program," MacDonald said.