Kendall Coyne Schofield is an American Hockey phenom. With five World Championship golds, an Olympic gold, and two U18 golds, she’s the definition of a superstar. She has been a key ingredient in the monumental success of the U.S. Women’s National team over the last decade and will be for years to come. Now, she gets her shot on Wednesday Night Hockey.
Nothing New for Coyne
Coyne Schofield graduated from Northeastern Univ. in Boston in 2016, with a B.A. in communications, so this is right up her alley. She’ll appear in the pregame show, between the glass with Pierre, and during intermissions. If anything, this might mean a little less Pierre. When Coyne Schofield (26) put on a show at the NHL All-Star Skills comp this weekend, it seemed inevitable we’d see her real soon. Kendall competed in the fastest skater competition on Friday, posting a time of 14.346. That’s fast. Like, really fast. Coyne bested Coyotes F Clayton Keller in the event, and was just about a second behind Connor McDavid for the win.
Wednesday Night Hockey
So, what is Wednesday Night Hockey? For those who are new, or don’t pay attention to weekday games, it’s simple. The NHL and NBC used to push “Wednesday Night Rivalry” before realizing Buffalo and Florida weren’t rivals. So this season they just “Coyned” the term Wednesday Night Hockey to promote their headliners for hump day. This week, Tampa Bay v. Pittsburgh. In the spirit of transparency, I’m actually really excited for this game. But, with the announcement of Kendall’s involvement, I can say I’m more likely to watch. I’m sure I speak for most when I say that. “I love to be able to talk about the game and when this opportunity presented itself, I was more than ecstatic,” Coyne Schofield told USA TODAY Sports.
Whether or not this is a step towards integrating more of women’s hockey into the core of NBC’s hockey coverage remains to be seen. What I can derive from this so far, is the NHL saw the massive amounts of support for Coyne Schofield. Kendall was also joined that evening by fellow women’s hockey stars Brianna Decker, Rebecca Johnston, and Renata Fast. Decker, who “demonstrated” the precision passing event, ended up having a better time than any NHLer in the event. Twitter exploded, lauding the accomplishments of the young women. Encouraging people to look into their accomplishments, beyond what was done Friday night.
The Future
The Olympics are a great showcase for their skills, but what these hockey players do to open the eyes of so many fans is unbelievable. I hope Wednesday isn’t the last we see of Coyne or any of these players. We can be certain they’ll continue to encourage and inspire girls around the world to break through any barrier someone puts in their way. Stick taps for all of you.
Like what you see? Be sure to check out more of the great hockey coverage here at Belly Up Sports, including our State of the NHL Address. The SotN discusses all 31 teams in their entirety and what they can look forward to in the second half of the season.
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