(Palm Springs, CA) For some reason, interviews with trailblazers in their field are some of the most difficult to schedule.
Will this person be intimidating? How to approach its successes without falling into clichés? Is she already tired of talking about it?
Jessica Campbell quickly dispelled apprehensions. The greetings are cordial as possible; handshake, frank. The bottoms in the sandals and the sports tracksuit remind us that the training has just ended and that the skates have been removed in a hurry for the appointment in the heights of the arena.
Even if the tone is resolutely light, the pretext of the interview deserves a moment of seriousness: little known to the Quebec public, Jessica Campbell was named, last summer, assistant coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, franchise of the American League newly established in Palm Springs, California.
Never, to date, had a coach obtained such a prestigious position in a North American professional hockey team. In recent months, several organizations have diversified their management groups. But behind the bench, the faces are still uniformly masculine.
Another noteworthy element: at 30, she is younger than two Firebirds skaters. By way of comparison, 213 players who played at least one NHL game this season were born before her. Only a handful of men have obtained similar positions at this age.
Inevitably, one wonders if these distinctive traits have posed barriers between her players and her.
Although I know that I am young and that I am a woman, and that everything I say is not necessarily received in the same way as if I were a man, I see myself first as a coach.
jessica campbell
“When I communicate with the players, it’s in their interest, and that’s what the players expect from a coach. The veterans received me very well, quickly respected me. I encountered no resistance. I devote myself completely to my work, to find out how I can best help the guys. »
And with management and fellow coaches?
“It’s really easy. All that’s different is our clothes, I would say. »
It was more or less true at the time of our meeting, but we did not notice it.
Specialist
Logically, given her age, we suspect that the stages followed one another quickly for Jessica Campbell.
A native of Saskatchewan, this forward has represented Canada a few times on the ice – twice with the U18 program and once at the 2015 Senior World Championship, after graduating from Cornell University.
PHOTO FROM HOCKEY CANADA WEBSITE
Jessica Campbell in the national team uniform
She then played two seasons with the Calgary Inferno, in the former Canadian Women’s Hockey League, then, after two years without playing, she went into exile in Sweden for a final campaign. Bored by all kinds of injuries, and faced with the meager professional prospects available to players, she hung up her shoulder pads.
During her long hiatus, she served as an assistant coach in a women’s school league in Western Canada. At the same time, she started a power skating school (power skating), a specialty she had been developing for years.
“She’s one of the fastest skaters to ever play hockey,” said close friend and former teammate Blayre Turnbull.
Lauriane Rougeau evolved with Campbell at Cornell. ” [Déjà, à l’époque]we knew she would be successful in the power skating, but we didn’t think she was going to climb the ladder that way! »
Described unanimously as a “student of the game”, Campbell quickly built a solid reputation as a specialist.
“I love diving into the details of the game, teaching the fundamentals of hockey and how that translates into a game,” she says. It’s been part of my approach from the start, both with the youngsters and with the pros. My strength, I believe, is my ability to connect the key elements of the game.”
NHL players, in fact, started working with her in the summer. Shea Weber, Joel Edmundson, Damon Severson and Luke Schenn, among others, were among his students.
[Jessica Campbell] made us try lots of exercises that I hadn’t seen before.
Joel Edmundson
Anyone who has used her services over the past three summers highlights the contribution of the specialist. “For a big guy like me, it was sometimes difficult, but it’s something that is necessary. She has a unique way of explaining the exercises, the techniques. You quickly see how much she loves hockey. I’m not surprised at all with what’s happening to her, and I’m really happy for her. »
Transition
The transition to a formal assistant coaching position was made last season. Campbell was first hired as a skills specialist (skills coach) by the Ice Tigers of Nuremberg, in the German first division.
“The power play wasn’t working, so I was asked to start working on that with the guys, and they responded really well to my ideas,” she says.
She was therefore invited to go behind the bench, which allowed her to see the game “from a more creative point of view”. “I could suddenly insert individual skills into the conversation about tactics and systems,” she recalls.
A few months later, she played the same role in the German national team at the World Championship.
During the tournament played in Finland, a spectator in the stands was particularly attentive. Ron Francis, general manager of the Seattle Kraken, was looking for people to run his new farm club in Coachella Valley.
Alongside Campbell was Tom Rowe, who also worked with the young woman in Nuremberg and who had rubbed shoulders with Francis with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2000s.
“We did our homework,” says the CEO of Kraken in an interview with The Press.
[Jessica Campbell] was exactly what we were looking for, and she seemed more than capable of filling that role here. In fact, she’s done an incredible job so far. She commands respect by the way she prepares.
Ron Francis, Seattle Kraken General Manager
His profile is particularly sought after from a player development perspective, which is in perfect harmony with a young organization like the Kraken.
“Our job is to give players all the information and advice they need to grow their careers,” adds Dan Bylsma, head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. That’s what Jessica has been doing for years. »
Bylsma was also in his early thirties when he started his career. The presence of Campbell and ex-tough guy Stu Bickel among his deputies reminds him that he’s “been there a long time!” “, he says, laughing, before praising “their passion and their energy”.
To the NHL
Passion, in fact, is a recurring theme when it comes to Jessica Campbell.
Olympic medalist Blayre Turnbull admits that 10 years ago she wouldn’t have predicted her friend’s fate either. Nevertheless, she knew that “she would be involved in the hockey world”.
She has always been fascinated by mental health in young athletes. She really found her passion.
Blayre Turnbull on Jessica Campbell
A communications graduate, Campbell believes she is well served by her attention to detail and “creative thinking.” She strives to support everything she exposes to players with video extracts, “in order to justify why we do this or that”.
“I love what I do,” she confirms. It is not trivial that a passion becomes a job. I could talk about it all day! We spend all our time in the arena, the hours are long, but the result is so rewarding: to see the guys improve, to succeed, to be called up to the NHL… That’s why people become teachers or coaches. »
She wouldn’t have imagined reaching this level either. Rubbing shoulders with professional athletes quickly confirmed to her that she wanted to “work with the best, men and women, at the highest level”.
“But I had never seen that, women being coaches in the NHL, she nuances. What you don’t see, you don’t know exists. »
This is what makes him hope that his situation will “open the door” to new colleagues.
His goal is clear: to reach the NHL. As a head coach? ” I’d love it ! “, she says. But she’s in no rush. As she did with Toni Söderholm and Tom Rowe in Nuremberg, she pays attention to the way Dan Bylsma, who won the Stanley Cup in 2009 while managing the Pittsburgh Penguins, works.
“I take things from everyone I meet and add it to my approach,” she says. I remain a student of the game, that does not change. I don’t know what to expect next… But it’s exciting! »