Manon Rh\u00e9aume, the trailblazing Canadian goalie, has been named the first general manager of the PWHL’s new Detroit team.<\/p>\n
Rh\u00e9aume made history in 1992 as the first woman to sign a professional hockey contract and play in an NHL pre-season game with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a milestone unmatched to this day. She also played for the Canadian women\u2019s national team at the 1998 Olympics, the first Games to feature women\u2019s hockey, and won two world championship gold medals.<\/p>\n
\u201cManon is a pioneer whose impact on the game extends far beyond the ice,\u201d said Jayna Hefford, Rh\u00e9aume\u2019s former teammate and the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations. \u201cShe brings an unmatched hockey r\u00e9sum\u00e9, a championship mindset, and a lifelong commitment to growing the women\u2019s game. Her experience at every level of hockey, combined with her leadership and vision, makes her the perfect person to lead PWHL Detroit into its inaugural season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detroit is one of three expansion franchises announced by the PWHL so far. Teams in Hamilton and Las Vegas will also begin play next season, bringing the league\u2019s total to 11 teams after just three years of existence.<\/p>\n
Rh\u00e9aume has spent the last four years working in hockey operations for the NHL\u2019s Los Angeles Kings. She also served for 11 years as the girls’ division director for the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club in the Detroit area.<\/p>\n
Now, she will build a professional team in a league that did not exist when Rh\u00e9aume was seeking high-level opportunities more than three decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m incredibly honoured and excited to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,\u201d Rh\u00e9aume said. \u201cThis city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special. The growth of women\u2019s hockey has been incredible to watch, and I\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of the sport alongside the PWHL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rh\u00e9aume will be tasked with assembling PWHL Detroit\u2019s first roster from scratch, starting immediately after the league\u2019s playoffs conclude.<\/p>\n
The PWHL also announced the first general manager for its Las Vegas franchise on Friday, appointing Dominique DiDia, a seasoned sports executive with CAA Sports.<\/p>\n
DiDia launched the women\u2019s hockey division at CAA Sports and served as co-head of that department. She previously spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, rising to the role of director of marketing and content publicity, while coaching and serving on the board for the LA Lions Girls Hockey Club.<\/p>\n
Originally from Los Angeles, DiDia played for the Cal Selects Girls Hockey Club and captained the team at Trinity College.<\/p>\n
\u201cDominique brings a unique combination of experience as a player, hockey executive, and advocate for the women\u2019s game,\u201d Hefford said. \u201cShe understands the evolving landscape of women\u2019s hockey and has a strong vision for building a team and culture that reflects both the ambition of the PWHL and the energy of the Las Vegas market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manon Rh\u00e9aume, the trailblazing Canadian goalie, has been named the first general manager of the PWHL’s new Detroit team. Rh\u00e9aume […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","description":"","custom_seo_keywords":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ice-hockey"],"yoast_head":"\n