Column: The PWHL Has A Hiring Problem

The PWHL's two most recent coaching hires, Steve O'Rourke for PWHL Seattle and Kris Sparre for the Boston Fleet, have something troubling in common: neither man has any experience coaching women's hockey.

Let me reiterate that. Both Sparre and O'Rourke have been handed leadership of teams at the highest level of the professional women's game, without having ever coached women before.

For the record, I have no problem with the PWHL hiring male coaches. I'd love to see Peter Elander come back to North America and helm a team. I think Brian Idalski is a great choice for PWHL Vancouver, since he comes to the league with two decades' worth of experience in the women's game. Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan is a great example of a man who came into the job with the necessary experience: he coached in women's USports and at multiple levels with Team Canada prior to joining the PWHL, and continues to lead the Canadian senior team.

My issue with hiring Sparre and O'Rourke is that they simply do not have the experience to merit getting these jobs. Were there seriously no better options, like people who've actually coached in the women's game? Or, if the league wants to hire a rookie, why not hire...oh, I don't know, a woman?

In all fairness, the PWHL isn't alone in this practice. Metropolitan Riveters fans will remember Randy Velischek's single season behind the bench, while the sheer mention of Leif Boork's name evokes a shamefully dismal era for Team Sweden. Pro hockey is a business, and as we've seen time and time again, connections are everything.

My colleagues did raise some interesting points when we were discussing the hires. Did no women want these jobs? If not, why not? Are they concerned about management interference or a lack of autonomy within the organization? In addition, we know little to nothing about the jobs' recruiting or application processes, contract length, or compensation. The PWHL's eight teams are all league-owned, which raises another question: who makes the final decisions? It's all shrouded in mystery.

Regardless of the rationale behind the hiring choices, these decisions undermine the PWHL's desire to present themselves as truly progressive.

(So too does their continued and inexcusable lack of a gender inclusion policy, but that's another story.)

These are huge opportunities for any coach regardless of gender, and while it's important to position the right person for success, it's a chance to put more women in leadership roles.

All too often we see men get an easy pass to the top. Fans hope for the PWHL to be forward-thinking, to do better and to be better. The league prides itself on high standards, and the flip side of that is high expectations, both for the organization as a whole and for its coaches, who are tasked with the job of coaching the highest-level talent in North America. Hiring Sparre and O'Rourke doesn't live up to that standard. Unfortunately, the only thing to do now is hope it's not the women they coach who'll pay the price.