CENTENNIAL, Colo. — For a lucky few, taking the ice at an NHL development camp can be life-changing. The same can be said for the coaches brought in for a limited basis.
"Growing up, you've never seen this before, so you didn't really think it would happen until it's like, I'm the one that's in this position, so it's definitely surreal," Ohio State women's hockey assistant coach Kelsey Cline said. "But everyone has been awesome and like, 'you're a coach, so coach.'"
Cline and Kim Weiss were invited to join the Avalanche for the 2023-24 season as part of the NHL Coaches' Association diversity guest coach program.
"They're the ones pushing the envelope forward,' Weiss said. "They're the ones that are providing these opportunities for us, not just to gain knowledge, but to gain networking, and that's the biggest thing, that's the biggest hurdle for anyone in any industry. You've got to know people."
Weiss serves as the associate head coach of the Maryland Black Bears and was the first woman to ever coach a North American Junior Hockey team.
"Then you get here and you realize the same things our players struggle with are the same things these guys are trying to make them great at," Weiss said. "It gives you a lot of confidence that what you're doing, you're on the right path."
Whether it's coaching the young Black Bears, Cline's women at Ohio State, or the newest members of the Colorado Avalanche, the coaches say they've seen the same dominant themes emerge.
"All they want is people that care about them. They just want people that are willing to spend their time and energy on them and see them for who they are," Weiss said.
Cline said the Avs organization and players welcomed them with open arms.
"Coaching hockey is coaching hockey," she said. "Men's, women's side, it's all the same. Everyone's looking for that feedback, like how can you help me get to that next level. It's just helping them and supporting them in that."
You won't hear any pushback about a woman coaching from the men in the room. Weiss said she's only heard meaningless noise from those on the outside.
"It's just like we tell our players, there's always going to be people who want what you have or they're jealous of what you're doing, you just have to continue to be confident in what you do," she said.
Weiss and Cline will serve as guest coaches for the Avalanche’s development camp, parts of training camp and periodically throughout the 2023-24 season.