In February, Kendall Coyne Schofield and her U.S. teammates visited Cammi Granato’s North Vancouver home for dinner before facing Canada in the Rivalry Series the following night. In late March, the 27-year-old American captain had the 2010 Olympic host city on her mind for a completely different reason.

Each evening at the same time, Vancouverites have been clapping and cheering for health care workers combating the global coronavirus pandemic. That’s made news across North America, including in Coyne Schofield’s native Chicago, currently a hard-hit area.

So when Coyne Schofield called IIHF.com’s Vancouver correspondent for a phone interview, she immediately commented: “I love to see what you guys are doing at 7 o’clock at night. That’s really special.”

It all just reflects how incredibly interconnected our world is today and how fast things can change. This 2018 Olympic champion and six-time Women’s Worlds gold medalist came into March expecting to lead the Americans in their quest for a sixth consecutive world title in Nova Scotia. Instead, the famously speedy Coyne Schofield now finds herself redirecting her energy toward helping Chicago-area charities – and, of course, staying safe and healthy with her family for the public good.

She’s supported by her husband Michael Schofield, an NFL offensive linesman, with whom she’s regularly working out with planks, resistance bands, and other home-based fitness options. It’s important to stay in shape after an unusual, unbalanced 2019-20 season in which Coyne Schofield played exhibition games with the 2019-founded Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and took part in an elite women’s 3-on-3 game at the NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis.

The two-time Women’s Worlds all-star, who has 23 goals and 28 assists in 51 career tournament games, did not have the international hockey calendar that she’d hoped for. That’s a feeling shared by all 10 national teams who were looking forward to competing in Halifax and Truro, and many more in the levels below. But right now, health and safety come first for everyone.

We chatted with Coyne Schofield about her charitable ventures during the crisis, her current off-ice activities, and the future of women’s hockey.

What was the month of March like for you?

For everybody, it started with a fast pace and it abruptly came to a halt. And rightfully so, due to the pandemic. Thinking back to when the World Championship was cancelled on March 7, we were one of the first big sporting events in North America to be cancelled at that time. So for a lot of us, we were heartbroken in the sense that both international tournaments [November’s 4 Nations Cup in Sweden and the Women’s Worlds] were cancelled this year. 

At the same time, it was an eye-opening moment. Unlike some of the sporting events that we’re used to seeing in the NBA, major league baseball, and the NHL, our tournament really encompassed people coming from all over the world. This pandemic hit the other side of the world before it hit North America. And so I think it was an indicator as to what was coming when they cancelled our World Championship.

You and Michael operate the Schofield Family Foundation to support families, first responders, and others in your community. What kind of outreach have you done during this crisis?

All of our lives have been impacted in some way, shape or form, and we knew we were very blessed to be able to have food and for our life not to be altered in any significant way. So when we saw the Chicago public schools being shut down and then all of a sudden the town being shut down, we knew that there were a lot of people in dire need. We turned to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and provided the most we could at that time, which was 50,000 meals. Hopefully it puts some ease into families that don’t have the opportunity to eat during this difficult time.

We’ve tried to lend our support to other places as well. There’s a fine line between practicing social distancing and staying inside. There’s other areas in which people are in dire need of volunteers that they don’t have otherwise, because those were people in a high-risk category. The Orland Park Food Pantry needed volunteers, people who hadn’t had any exposure to the virus and could lift over 50 pounds. Michael and I looked at each other and said: “That’s us! Let’s get there and let’s help. We haven’t been impacted and we can help move and lift.” So we’ve been going there in the mornings to help with the Food Pantry.

And the other place we tried to assist was Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, Illinois, which is right next to the hospital where both of us were born. In 2019, we donated a room to that house. We knew once the city was shut down with the restrictions that were put in place, somewhere like the Ronald McDonald House would be impacted, because they rely on their volunteers every night to cook a meal for the families that have very sick kids and are unable to go home.

Along with the fire chiefs’ association and our foundation, we partnered to provide 10 days of meals for the Ronald McDonald House. We felt it was a way to help these families and give local restaurants business that they’re not getting due to the current situation. It was a win-win in a lose-lose situation.

How important is it to be close to your family at a time like this?

It’s so important. I’m very thankful I’m able to be here in Orland Park, Illinois, close to my family. This is the most time I’ve spent with my husband living in our house here since we bought it almost two years ago. We’re trying to stay optimistic and positive. We’re trying to do our part and practice social distancing, but we also try to get outside for a healthy 20 or 30 minutes each day. We bike to local businesses to get take-out food and then bike right back to our house.

We’re so thankful for those who are on the front line of this disease and allow us to be inside and be together. We all know doctors and nurses and first responders who are working around the clock. For us not to do our part is doing a disservice to those who are serving us during this difficult time.

It’s hard to talk about a “silver lining” during an international crisis, but is there an opportunity here to heal some nagging injuries or work on different aspects of your conditioning or benefit yourself otherwise as a hockey player?

Really, I would have rested those nagging injuries after the World Championship. When that’s over, we have enough time from then till the start of the 2020/21 season to rest and heal. But I think definitely during this time, you’re able to watch some old game film and watch a lot of hockey that you might not have watched before.

Also, it’s a time to reflect on the positives and negatives that this season has brought to all of us, whether it’s hockey, football, or whatever sport it may be. It’s a time to think: “What can I do to be prepared for next season? How can I prepare to be better for my country, for my sport, for the future of women’s hockey, when we get back to what we know as normal?”

It’s a time when you can read a lot. I love reading autobiographies of other athletes and learning from their stories. There’s a lot of ways that, as an elite athlete, you can still get better during this time when you’re unable to be as physically fit as you normally are.

What are you reading?

Right now, it’s Courage to Soar by Simone Biles. I’m starting that. I’m currently reading a book called Legacy by James Kerr, which is all about the All Blacks rugby team. I don’t know what you’d call it, book-hopping? But I keep going between books and I gotta sit and do one at a time! I’m not used to having so much time on my hands to focus on reading things that I want to read.

Have you watched any standout hockey games?

Actually, what I just watched the other day was incredible. I wish there were more footage of women’s sports in general, but specifically women’s hockey on TV. I saw that Julie Chu posted online the full coverage of her NCAA national championship game from 2003, Harvard versus Minnesota-Duluth. And I watched the entire game, roughly two hours and 30 minutes. It went to double overtime, and I was in awe.

I didn’t know who’d won, so I was watching it in real time for me. With Chuey posting it, I figured [her Harvard team] won! So I was waiting for Harvard to win and then Duluth took an early lead. And I’m like, “Oh, they’re not going to win.” Then Harvard comes back and it goes to OT. When Duluth won, I was like, “Oh my goodness!

I turned to my husband and asked: “Is this what you feel like when you watch old NFL games?“ He’s like, “Yeah!” I go, “This is so amazing to watch!“ To watch those who came before you in college hockey at a time when I didn’t even know it existed. In 2003, I was 11 years old. I’d never seen a college game. So that’s been the highlight of what I’ve watched during quarantine.

Speaking of 2003, the Women’s Worlds in China that year were cancelled due to the SARS outbreak. It’s not exactly the same situation, of course, but have you had a chance to talk to Julie or others who were slated to participate about how they handled the experience?

Here’s what happened. I was in Arizona for the last stop of the Dream Gap tour on March 7. The Worlds were cancelled that morning, and then I played in the last game of my season officially. That night, I flew to Chicago for the all-female NBC broadcast of the Blues-Blackhawks game on March 8, and I was doing the game with A.J. Mleczko. She was on the 2003 team that was cancelled.

So I had a long conversation with her about it and how hard it was for her and the different impacts it had on teammates’ careers, including hers. A.J.’s career actually ended, and she felt like she had so much more to give. But she decided to start a family at that time instead of continuing with her playing career because it was just such a long duration between those World Championships and the next time she was able to compete.

I think it speaks volumes. We’re still having that same issue here in 2020. The opportunity for women to play post-collegiately is still so scarce. That’s why we need that sustainable professional league that allows women to be professionals and have careers beyond just national team events. That long conversation with A.J. was therapeutic for me after finding out 24 hours earlier.

When hockey resumes, based on what you learned from your inaugural PWHPA run, what do you want to do differently to create more high-level competition?

Right now, our plans are all in the works for next year. But at the end of the day, you always want to make sure the product and the competition is the best that it can be every time we step on the ice. That’s our focus as we continue to make adjustments for next year. The best women’s hockey, no matter where you’re from, needs to be displayed on a regular basis. That didn’t happen once this year.

Now, the Women’s Worlds were rightfully cancelled. There’s no doubt in my mind that they made the right decision on that. But we can look back at a time when the world could come together, when we weren’t dealing with this pandemic. The fact that we didn’t come together and the elite players of women’s hockey from around the world never once played against one another – it’s challenging to see. That’s how we grow the game. That’s how we get better. We’re stronger together than we ever will be apart.

So the fact that the U.S. women’s national team played seven games this year and all seven were against Team Canada isn’t a successful season in my eyes.

Goalie Aerin Frankel, defender Savannah Harmon, and forwards Britta Curl, Abby Roque, and Grace Zumwinkle were all set to make their Women’s Worlds debut. What was your reaction to seeing so much new young blood on Team USA?

To be honest, when we heard that the World Championship was cancelled, I was heartbroken for the game of women’s hockey. My second thought immediately was about those players who were going to make their World Championship debut and how they worked their entire lives to put on that jersey. That dream was dashed due to unforeseen circumstances. You’re heartbroken that they won’t make their debut like they expected when they made the team. But to see players who have been around this program for a long time finally crack the Worlds roster, you’re so excited for them. Whether it’s your eighth or your first, it’s equally exciting.

All those players earned that opportunity. You hope that moment comes again. We can’t predict the future. I think as a world, we’re all focused on conquering this pandemic together and getting through it together. Right now, we’re all on the same team, and that team means staying inside, practising social distancing, and flattening the curve. That’s how I feel about it.

You alluded earlier to the International Women’s Day NHL broadcast that made history with an entirely female crew. What are your best memories from working with A.J., Jennifer Botterill, and others on that broadcast?

How cool was that? It was great to spend time with Jen Botterill. Going back to Chuey’s game that she put on the Internet, I was watching it like a little kid: “I get to see Bots play hockey!” She’s the only player ever to win the Patty Kazmaier Award twice. I hear so much about her as a player.

In any case, to be a part of that broadcast, it was such an honour, because a lot of the women who took part paved the way for me to be there. I’m relatively new to the industry. All of them have been in it for a long time. It was a reassuring moment for me to show that there’s enough women in the industry for NBC to put together a super team to produce and broadcast a nationally televised game.

That doesn’t mean we’re there yet. There’s still a long way to go and there are still a lot more opportunities for women to come into the business. However, it shows the growth and how talented women are in this industry. Even though you can’t always see and hear those voices, it was amazing to see all the women who are producing and directing and behind the cameras. They’re the ones who make that game as entertaining as possible.

Since joining the San Jose Sharks broadcast team in September, what have you learned about what it takes to become a better broadcaster?

It’s like anything, like my playing career. It takes repetition. Unfortunately, sometimes you’re going to make those mistakes on national TV, but it’s those reps and mistakes you need to learn from to get better. For me, it’s practice. It’s preparation. It’s watching and analyzing hockey day in and day out. Ever since I started broadcasting, I haven’t watched an NHL game the same way.

It’s not just showing up to the game and performing. You can’t do that as an Olympian or as an NHL player. It’s the same as a broadcaster. I’ve been ultimately using my work ethic that has taken me to where I am today in playing, and I’m implementing that in broadcasting. I’m trying to learn from those around me, and I’ve been surrounded by amazing mentors throughout my short broadcasting career, including those in San Jose. I’m trying to learn and be a sponge and be the best broadcaster I can be because I want to be the best in anything I do.

The world will look different when this is over. Do you believe that somehow, in the new landscape, whatever it looks like, there will be new opportunities to grow women’s hockey?

I do. I’m optimistic. As challenging as this year was for international women’s hockey, I think it was extremely optimistic for women’s professional hockey. If we can put the two together and collaborate together, I think we’re going to take this game farther than a lot of people envisioned it could go.