6 fun facts about new Canucks assistant GM Émilie Castonguay
History has been made.
The Vancouver Canucks made 37-year-old former player agent Émilie Castonguay the first female assistant general manager in team history on Tuesday.
While she’s certainly a trailblazer in the industry, Castonguay seemingly has her sights set on loftier aspirations.
“I’m starting with the AGM and we’ll see where that takes me. I’ve always had high aspirations in my career and in life in general,” Castonguay said during her introductory press conference on Monday.
“We’ll see where that takes me but we’ll start with this for now.”
Here are six fun facts about the newest member of the Canucks front office.
1. One of the most powerful women in hockey
Back in 2020, Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler compiled a list with 25 of the most powerful women in hockey.
Castonguay was included on the list at #13.
The Outremont, Quebec native made the list not only for being a trailblazer for women in pro hockey, but for helping Marie-Philip Poulin become one of the most sponsored women’s hockey players in Canada.
“It’s something that I felt was important because I was getting involved in the men’s world and I played hockey myself so I know what the women go through,” Castonguay said. “It was important for me to make sure that Marie-Philip was able to live the life of a pro.”
2. Her late sister predicted she’d manage Canucks
Early on in her media availability, Castonguay mentioned that she has aspirations of working in Vancouver for quite some time.
“I have a vision board at home that I’ve had for over 5-6 years,” she said. “On it, I had written a certain age, and I had written Vancouver beside it, just because I wanted to be in Vancouver at that point in my life.”
“I didn’t know how I was going to get there or how it was going to happen, but I turn that age in about a month and a half.”
Later on, she mentioned that her last conversation with her late sister was about how one day, Castonguay would manage the Canucks.
Here’s the translated text (per @MAGodin) of Émilie Castonguay’s French language answer about her late sister, who told her in one of their final conversations that she’d manage the #Canucks one day: pic.twitter.com/fw3wD1V5k9
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) January 24, 2022
3. Played hockey against boys until university
Growing up in Quebec, Castonguay played hockey against boys, all the way up until earning a full-ride scholarship to play Division I NCAA hockey for the Niagara University Purple Eagles.
“You’d get dressed in the referee’s room and go through that challenge as a kid,” she said in a 2019 interview with Kevin Allen of USA Today. “Hockey was just my passion early on. I loved watching it. I loved it. I loved playing it.”
Castonguay carved out a role as a third-line checker with the Purple Eagles. While she wasn’t their most gifted player offensively, her leadership was evident. Castonguay was captain of the team during her final two seasons.
4. Second female AGM in NHL history
It’s been a long time coming.
Castonguay is now the second female assistant general manager in NHL history, and the first since 1996-97.
Angela Gorgone was hired by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks as assistant GM 26 years prior. She spent three seasons prior as the Mighty Ducks’ scouting coordinator. Gorgone went on to become the Nashville Predators’ director of scouting before leaving the NHL in 1999.
5. Former Habs GM convinced her to be an agent
Aside from being trailblazers, another connection between Gorgone and Castonguay is their relationship with Pierre Gauthier.
Gorgone worked with Gauthier when he was assistant GM of the Ducks. When Gauthier left to become GM of the Ottawa Senators, Gorgone was one of the individuals who was promoted following his absence.
Fifteen years later, Castonguay had a mentorship with the Montreal Canadiens, where she worked with Gauthier, who was the Habs GM at the time.
“He taught me a lot and, you know, obviously it’s probably a big day for him to see me here,” said Castonguay.
It was Gauthier who convinced Castonguay that she should enter the player agent world.
“Along the way, he told me, ‘Through our conversations and debates, you seem like you are pro-player,” Castonguay told USA Today. “I didn’t disagree. He said maybe you should go try to work with the union or the agency instead of an NHL team because I think you can be more valuable there. I took his advice.”
6. Set multiple firsts as an agent
In 2016, Castonguay became the first woman ever to be certified as a player agent for the NHL Players’ Association.
That historic moment occurred just two years after she joined Momentum Hockey Agency.
Four years later, she became the first woman to represent a No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft. That player was Alexis Lafrenière, who went first overall to the New York Rangers in 2020.
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