Kendall Coyne Schofield, the 2018 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in women's hockey, has signed on as an NHL Network studio analyst.
Coyne Schofield is set to make her debut Monday alongside Tony Luftman and Kevin Weekes, the network announced Friday.
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to join NHL Network as an on-air analyst," said Coyne Schofield, 26, who grew up in Palos Heights, Ill. "I'm looking forward to joining a team of expert analysts and sharing my passion for the game with hockey fans."
Coyne Schofield made headlines in January with a breakout performance in the fastest skater event at the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills competition. It was the first time a woman had competed with the men in the event.
Just days later, NBC analyst Pierre McGuire earned condemnation when, before an NHL telecast on NBCSN, he seemed to condescendingly treat colleague Coyne Schofield as if she were a hockey novice.
"Tampa's going to be on your left. Pittsburgh's going to be on your right," McGuire told her before the game. "What are you expecting out of this game? We're paying you to be an analyst, not to be a fan tonight!"
McGuire explained he was being jocular, not sexist, and Coyne Schofield said via social media she "didn't think twice about our on-air exchange when it happened" and felt no disrespect. But it was a terrible stab at humor and an ugly moment.
Coyne Schofield, a member of the U.S. women's national hockey team since 2011 and vocal proponent for gender pay equity in USA Hockey, has competed in two Winter Olympics. She and her teammates won the gold medal at last year's in Pyeongchang Games and the silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Most recently, she was a captain for Team USA in the 2019 Rivalry Series against Team Canada, which was carried last month by NHL Network. She also has played professional hockey since 2016 with the Minnesota Whitecaps of the National Women's Hockey League.
At Northeastern University, where Coyne Schofield graduated with a degree in communications, she led the NCAA in goals, goals per game, points per game, short-handed goals and hat tricks during the 2015-16 season, winning the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as women's college hockey's top player.
NHL Network said Coyne Schofield will not be tethered to a single program.
Tuesday, a day after her NHL Network debut, she is scheduled to join hosts Jamie Hersch and Jackie Redmond for the channel's second annual all-female edition of its daily "NHL Now" show.
Among the special edition's features will be an in-studio skills demonstration by Coyne Schofield. Also showcased will be such NHL Network club correspondents as Caley Chelios (Lightning), Lauren Gardner (Avalanche), Lyndsay Rowley (Predators) and Jennifer Botterill (Islanders), who is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.
