Seattle Kraken Assistant Coach Jessica Campbell Initially Ignored Email About NHL Job Because 'She Thought It Was Spam'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jessica Campbell on Oct. 8, 2024.Photo:Steph Chambers/Getty

Steph Chambers/Getty

Jessica Campbellmade hockey history on Tuesday, Oct. 8, becoming the first woman to appear behind the bench as anNHLcoach when she and the Seattle Kraken kicked off the season with a matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

But the history-making moment almost didn’t happen because Campbell, the 32-year-old assistant coach, toldThe Athleticshe initially didn’t open an email from head coach Dan Bylsma because she “wondered if it was spam.”

Jessica Campbell on Oct. 8, 2024.Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty

Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty

“During our tenure in Coachella Valley, I saw firsthand Jessica’s commitment to player development,” Bylsma told PEOPLE in a statement in July after the team announced her hiring. “Her ability to establish relationships with her players, specifically Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, was an important factor in this hire.”

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“I’m reminded often [to be making history as the first female coach] and it just puts a lot of meaning into the work,” she said then. “I know that if the team has success and that my impact is a good one, it could potentially open up doors for others and open eyes for others to maybe think differently. I try to really keep my eyes fixed on what matters every day to be in the now, to be in the moment, to stay in the trenches with the players. And though I am honored to be the first, I don’t want to be the only.”

From Left: Dan Bylsma and Jessica Campbell on Oct. 8, 2024.Steph Chambers/Getty

Prior to her coaching career, Campbell was a former captain at Cornell University before playing three seasons professionally with the Calgary Inferno in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and another season with the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden’s Division 1 league. Campbell also led Canada to a gold medal as the MVP of the 2010 IIHF World Championship tournament.

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Before Tuesday’s game,USA Todayreportedthat the trailblazing NHL coach told reporters she was “focused on the task at hand” but also allowed herself to soak in the groundbreaking moment before puck drop.

“The moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench … I’m really going to try to honor what it is,” Campbell said. “I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game.”

source: people.com