Lisa Haley (centre), who guided Hungary at the 2021 Women's Worlds in Calgary, is one example of an impactful female head coach in a traditionally male-dominated sphere.
photo: Attila Szucs
With the 2026 Olympics approaching rapidly, many international hockey fans know that Jukka Jalonen – the renowned coach who led the Finnish men to Olympic gold in 2022 – will stand behind the bench of the host Italian men’s national team in Milano.
However, fewer are aware that Stephanie Poirier is slated to serve as the head coach of Italy’s Olympic women’s team. As of today, the 40-year-old Quebec native is just one of two female head coaches among the top 20 nations in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking.
That needs to change. And that’s where HER comes in.
HER is the IIHF’s new female coaching network. Its goal is to increase the number of female coaches worldwide through the power of community – online and offline. Already, more than 160 coaches have signed up for HER, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“We have so many amazing ambassadors and stories to share,” said Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, the IIHF Women’s Program Manager. “The main focus of HER is life coaching, networking, and mentorship – women helping women. We’ve seen this in other historically male-dominated professions, from lawyers to doctors. Right around the globe, we’re encouraging female coaches to communicate online, get together in person, watch some hockey and talk to one another, as well as young female players.”
The HER community can draw on some rich inspiration. History includes great examples of women coaching their national programs to successful results.
Canada won three consecutive Olympic gold medals with female head coaches, including Daniele Sauvageau – the current GM of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire – in 2002 and Mel Davidson – a 2024 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee – in 2006 and 2010.
More recently, Lisa Haley coached Hungary to its first IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship win ever, a 5-1 decision over Denmark in 2021. And Carla MacLeod – the other active female head coach in the top 20 nations – has lifted the Czech team to new heights with bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 Women’s Worlds.
Still, this is just a beginning. To truly grow the women’s game, many more non-North American female head coaches need to come on board. After all, there are more than 40 countries in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The up-and-coming nations need visible female coaching role models and day-in, day-out inspiration to produce the stars of tomorrow, from the Olympics and Women’s Worlds to the PWHL and SDHL.
Stay tuned for HER testimonials from our ambassadors and female coaches worldwide on IIHF.com in the weeks ahead.
HER will officially launch on the Signal platform during the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia (9 to 20 April).
However, fewer are aware that Stephanie Poirier is slated to serve as the head coach of Italy’s Olympic women’s team. As of today, the 40-year-old Quebec native is just one of two female head coaches among the top 20 nations in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking.
That needs to change. And that’s where HER comes in.
HER is the IIHF’s new female coaching network. Its goal is to increase the number of female coaches worldwide through the power of community – online and offline. Already, more than 160 coaches have signed up for HER, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
To register, please click on the below link (registration is at the bottom)
HER - Coaching Network
“We have so many amazing ambassadors and stories to share,” said Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, the IIHF Women’s Program Manager. “The main focus of HER is life coaching, networking, and mentorship – women helping women. We’ve seen this in other historically male-dominated professions, from lawyers to doctors. Right around the globe, we’re encouraging female coaches to communicate online, get together in person, watch some hockey and talk to one another, as well as young female players.”
The HER community can draw on some rich inspiration. History includes great examples of women coaching their national programs to successful results.
Canada won three consecutive Olympic gold medals with female head coaches, including Daniele Sauvageau – the current GM of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire – in 2002 and Mel Davidson – a 2024 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee – in 2006 and 2010.
More recently, Lisa Haley coached Hungary to its first IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship win ever, a 5-1 decision over Denmark in 2021. And Carla MacLeod – the other active female head coach in the top 20 nations – has lifted the Czech team to new heights with bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 Women’s Worlds.
Still, this is just a beginning. To truly grow the women’s game, many more non-North American female head coaches need to come on board. After all, there are more than 40 countries in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The up-and-coming nations need visible female coaching role models and day-in, day-out inspiration to produce the stars of tomorrow, from the Olympics and Women’s Worlds to the PWHL and SDHL.
Stay tuned for HER testimonials from our ambassadors and female coaches worldwide on IIHF.com in the weeks ahead.
HER will officially launch on the Signal platform during the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia (9 to 20 April).