It was in 2008, at a time when women gravitating around the NHL were even fewer than today. It was 13 years before Geoff Molson expressed his wish to make more room for diversity – read: something other than white gentlemen – in his hockey organization chart.
Posted at 7:35 p.m.
Castonguay was then a player at Niagara University, and she was having a conversation with her big sister Valérie.
“She told me that one day I would lead the Vancouver Canucks. It was our last conversation, said an emotional Émilie Castonguay, Monday, by videoconference.
“When the Canucks called me, it was a lot of emotions. That’s why I listened to Jim. For the Vancouver part, he didn’t need to convince me. It’s kind of the universe that brought me here. »
Shortly after said conversation, Valérie Castonguay died “in a tragic accident”, wrote the University of Montreal, in 2020, in a portrait of Émilie Castonguay.
Fourteen years later, the 38-year-old woman, who was notably known as the agent of Alexis Lafrenière, therefore fulfilled the prophecy of her big sister. Castonguay was named the Canucks’ new assistant general manager on Monday.
She thus becomes the first woman in franchise history to hold this position, and only the second in the entire NHL, after Angela Gorgon, with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 1996. Elsewhere in the league, other women , though few in number, hold jobs in various hockey operations departments – in Toronto, Hayley Wickenheiser and Danielle Goyette oversee player development. None, however, touches so closely on the daily management of a club.
But throughout his conference, we felt that Castonguay did not necessarily stop at this feat of arms. “I never thought about gender too much in my career, I saw it in a non-binary way,” she admitted.
“As agents, the competition is fierce. It’s an unforgiving industry. But I never saw this competition as gender-based. I have always been treated very well, whether by general managers, their assistants or recruiters. Once you talk about hockey, you come to forget that you’re the only girl in the place. The fact that I didn’t dwell on it ensured that I never felt intimidated. »
A pioneer
Castonguay was until now at the head of the Momentum agency along with Olivier Fortier. In 2016, she became the first female agent certified by the NHL Players Association. She also represented Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the Canadian hockey team which will soon fly to Beijing.
In the NHL, in addition to Lafrenière, she represented Antoine Roussel (Coyotes), Cédric Paquette (Canadian), Jakob Pelletier (Flames), Jordan Spence (Kings) as well as the brothers Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier Joseph (Lightning and Penguins). According to Puckpedia, the total value of contracts she handled was $24.8 million.
“We managed it 50-50 at quite all levels, describes Olivier Fortier. We each have our strengths and weaknesses. Me, it was more recruitment. I took care of Alexis since he was very young. But from the age of 17, it required more work, with the sponsors, things like that, so Émilie got on board. We are a boutique agency and we were very involved. »
Even though he loses his work partner, Fortier was obviously thrilled for her. “As soon as the Canucks approached her, she called me immediately to tell me about it. We spoke several times a day. We have a great relationship, she’s a bit like my sister. I am very proud of his decision. »
Castonguay’s experience as an agent will come in handy for the Canucks. In the press release, the team specifies that it will be involved in the negotiation and development of player contracts and that it will manage issues related to the collective agreement. “His voice will be heard in all aspects of hockey operations [et] she will be a key member of our leadership team,” it read.
Not a candidate after all…
Castonguay’s name has been circulating extensively in recent weeks, as the selection process for a general manager was in full swing at the Montreal Canadiens. According to our information, however, she was not approached for this position, information which she corroborated by videoconference.
“I did not have an interview with the Canadian, she said. Basically, the Canadian had made a list of candidates for a GM position, with people they believed qualified for this position. If I wasn’t on the list, I have no pretense to think I had to be. I wish them success, but not as successful as Vancouver! »
Impossible, therefore, to know why his name came up so often in the lists of “candidates” that the Habs wanted to interview.
The Canucks did interview her. And if, by her mere presence, Castonguay contributes to diversifying the management of the Canucks, she does not feel that she was hired to “check a box” either.
“With the Canucks, we never even talked about the fact that I’m a woman, not once. When Jim [Rutherford, président des opérations hockey] called me, it was to say, “I think you can do this job and you can be good.” I already knew Jim, I felt what he was looking for was quality people with a vision. He thought I was one of those people.
“If I had felt he was approaching me to tick a box, that it was just a public relations strategy, I would have seen it coming miles away. I never had that feeling with the Canucks. »
Castonguay therefore found the role that suited her in Vancouver, the city she has loved for so long, where she often went on vacation, and where she even hoped one day to establish a point of service for her agency. There are worse ways to start your career in the National League.
With Simon-Olivier Lorange, The Press