Kim Weiss doesn’t think much about the history she’s made.
The 36-year-old is too busy with her duties that come with being an assistant coach of the Colorado Eagles, which include breaking down a 5-on-5 video (she was the team’s video coach prior to her promotion) and presenting it to the team, pushing pucks and running practice drills.
“When the title change happened and the promotion happened, I left the general manager’s (Kevin McDonald) office and went back to work,” Weiss told NHL.com. “At the moment you don’t really think about things like that, but of course it’s an honor.
“I’m especially grateful because of my background. I didn’t play on a national team, I didn’t grow up in Minnesota or any other hockey hotbed. So to get to this level and have this legacy, for lack of a better word, of where I come from, a kid from Maryland who played Division III (hockey at Trinity College), it makes me even more proud to show people that no matter where you start, you can get somewhere. Then you add to that you’re a woman and all that, I’m Me I’m really proud of my journey and I’m proud of all the people who helped me get here.”
It’s been quite a ride for Weiss with the Eagles, who are second in the AHL Pacific Division. Last week, Weiss spoke with NHL.com about her new duties, working with the Avalanche and more women in hockey.
What was it like when McDonald called you into the office to tell you the news about your promotion?
“Honestly, it’s a validation of the work you’ve put in. That’s what the General Manager said to me. Last season I had a different head coach (Aaron Schneekloth) and we had a different assistant (Dan Hinote) who both went to the NHL, and they both spoke highly of me to our General Manager in the summer and to our new head coach (Mark Letestu). Getting to know Mark and working for him this year confirmed everything he had heard from me through the first few pairs. competitions. months of the year.
“I don’t know exactly what the process was to change the title, but I think it went to Kevin, and I know Kevin said this to me, this line of, ‘You do all the work that the assistant does, so why don’t we call you one?’ I am already on the ice with the team and skating, scratch skating and presenting (video). I do everything the assistant coach does; I just had a different title. So I really appreciate them giving me the opportunity to advance my career and continue doing what I love most, which is coaching hockey.”
Letestu also had you do one of the training sessions earlier this season. How did that come about?
“Every assistant had (that opportunity). The biggest thing was that he had been an assistant coach before and he wanted to make sure that we all had a voice and a say, and that we weren’t just coming on the ice to practice like, ‘Oh, here we go. Push some pucks. Put on my tracksuit for 20 minutes, push some pucks and jump off.’ He wanted to make sure we had a platform for the players.
“It started with our longest-tenured assistant coach, Tim Branham. It wasn’t anything new or scary to any of us, just a different dynamic. Not every staff allows their assistants to take full responsibility for a full workout. Then Derek (Army) took over and I took one the next week.”
#Weiss #focus #job #Colorado #AHL #assistant #historic #promotion #NHL.com