Female coach in the NHL "just a matter of time" according to Flames' Treliving

The NHL’s first female coach isn’t far away, according to Flames’ general manager Brad Treliving.

“There is a lot of really smart, articulate, good hockey people that are women. Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of time” Treliving told Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald.

Female power skating coaches have been commonplace in the NHL for years, but no team has ever hired a full-time female on their staff before.

The NHL will eventually become the last of the big-four North American pro sports leagues to do it.

The NBA’s San Antonio Spurs hired Becky Hammon as an assistant coach in 2014. Nancy Lieberman became the second female coach in the NBA this past summer.

Justine Siegal became Major League Baseball’s first female coach in September, hired by the Oakland Athletics.

And just last week, the Buffalo Bills became the first team in the NFL to hire a woman to coach.

BREAKING: Kathryn Smith is the Bills new special teams quality control coach, the first full-time female NFL coach! pic.twitter.com/r2MkWX4pR3

— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) January 21, 2016

If a woman can coach in the NFL, a place where male chauvinism is higher than just about anywhere on earth, certainly a woman can coach in the NHL.

The growth of women’s hockey has already produced some knowledgable broadcasters, including former Canadian National Team members Cassie Campbell (Hockey Night in Canada) and Tessa Bonhomme (TSN). It can’t be long until a smart female coaching mind breaks through to the NHL.

Perhaps it will be with the Calgary Flames.

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