PITTSBURGH _ Five days after she broke a barrier, Kendall Coyne Schofield is breaking into a new world: NHL broadcasting.
The U.S. National Hockey Team Member and professional women's hockey player joins NBC's broadcast of the Lightning-Penguins game Wednesday night. She will be between the benches to add color commentary.
On Friday, Coyne Schofield was the first woman to compete in the NHL All Star skills competition, finishing seventh in the fastest skater competition.
She was out to dinner for her mother-in-law's birthday Sunday night when she saw an email asking if she'd like to join the broadcast.
Coyne Schofield, who plays for Minnesota in the NWHL, is excited about the opportunity. It's not entirely new to her, only at this level.
She studied communications at Northeastern, where she did some sideline reporting and joined the men's hockey broadcasts when she could around her own schedule on the women's team.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper started his pregame media availability with a nod to Coyne Schofield, as she walked up behind the group.
"We have to do this fast," he said, "because the fastest woman skater is right behind us."
