SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Kendall Coyne Schofield stepped up to the line in her Team USA jersey and a chant broke out: "U-S-A, U-S-A." She stepped back to wait for the introduction. When she actually took off, the crowd stood.
Something special happened at SAP Center on Friday night.
The first woman competed in the NHL All-Star skills competition, and Coyne Schofield's breakthrough appearance left me amazed. No, amazed doesn't describe the feeling. She inspired.
"I knew it was a moment that would break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game," she said.
Coyne Schofield wanted to prove women belong and she did exactly that. Her 14.246-second lap put her in seventh in the fastest skater competition and earned her a lot of respect.
When Coyne Schofield finished, the Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and the Islanders' Mathew Barzal gave an enthusiastic stick tap. The Blue Jackets' Cam Atkinson offered an impressed nod. The crowd went crazy.
Actually, the crowd went crazy before she finished. As soon as Coyne Schofield took off, fans stood. It was enough to give you chills.
Allow me to be a fan, for a moment.
I first saw Coyne Schofield play as a freshman at Northeastern in the Beanpot (a college hockey tournament in Boston). Covering the Beanpot made me fall in love with women's hockey. That four-team tournament was chock full of Olympians; they displayed incredible skill.
On Friday, I saw a woman demonstrate that she can compete with the best in the world. That's something fans of women's hockey have known and many men's hockey fans have denied.
It started with a tweet. Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon couldn't compete in the fastest skater competition, so the Avalanche reached out to a replacement: Coyne Schofield, who was scheduled to demonstrate the event.
"It was a no-brainer," Coyne Schofield said, "and a huge honor to be the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition. It was surreal."
Coyne Schofield wasn't the only one to make the statement that women have a place on one of the game's biggest stages, but she was the only woman to get the chance to make it official. Brianna Decker, another U.S. Olympian, demonstrated the premier passer event.
Decker's unofficial time was 1:06. Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl won with a time of 1:09.
"It was phenomenal," Coyne Schofield said. "I think it just shows that the top players, man or woman, belong."
Last year, Hilary Knight demonstrated the shooting accuracy competition. Her time would have put her in fourth.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper approached Coyne Schofield, who plays for the Minnesota Whitecaps in the National Women's Hockey League, on the bench.
"I was so excited for her," he said, "for how she performed on such a big stage. It was great to talk to her. I just wanted to make sure she knew. Part of this event is to grow hockey, and the step she took tonight to help hockey is going to go miles down the road."
It wasn't all perfect, though. The deniers made themselves heard as well.
When USA Hockey tweeted in advance of the competition, it got responses like, "And after she gets smoked by the dudes will we get to see her cry on live TV?" and "Unless the ice rink is in the kitchen ... no one cares."
Coyne Schofield shut up most of them, however. There weren't many negative responses when USA Hockey tweeted a video of her skate. Many responded with a simple "wow."
Earlier in the day, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was committed to supporting the women's game. The NHL missed on opportunities to promote the two professional women's leagues represented Friday night (the NWHL and Canadian Women's Hockey League) and to recognize Decker as winner of the passing event. But this was a good step in that direction.
"I think today the NHL took that stance, they made that statement," Coyne Schofield said.
Now, let's make it a regular thing.
