Montreal Canadiens France Margaret Bélanger: Breaking The Glass Ceiling

The Montreal Canadiens nomination of France Margaret Bélanger to the position of President, Sports and Entertainment of Group CH is not one to be taken lightly.

For the casual fan, the news will fade gently into the night without any second mention. For a select group of individuals, they’re already trolling social media saying that she got the promotion because she’s a woman. Mainstream media made polite copy/paste reports while some journalists went out of their way to promote this news as something quasi-revolutionary.

The appointment of Bélanger to this position is a big deal and not giving in to the trend of women making it in professional sports, like some members of the media will try to make you believe. This is someone who has been with the organization since 2013, first joining the team as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer after spending 18 years at Stikeman Elliott, a Montreal law firm.

Less than a year later, she was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, In January 2017, she was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, this team leading the charge in all matters concerning hockey commercial strategies. Three years have passed and Bélanger is this time given the leadership role for the entertainment group, all while still overseeing legal and public affairs as well as community relations.

Her new role will have an impact on players. She has already committed to creating a new program educating young players about the consequences of inappropriate conduct and usage of particular types of language in person and on social media. Something obviously aimed for, and already committed by, 2021 1st round pick Logan Mailloux.

On top of all of that, she serves as Alternate Governor for Geoff Molson and has a seat on the NHL Executive Inclusion Council, a seat by the way, that was offered directly by Gary Bettman himself.

The resume speaks for itself and anyone with that kind of experience deserves the role along with the accolades that come with it. However, it still took 111 years for the Montreal Canadiens to break this so-called glass ceiling and appoint a woman to a high executive role, or any high profile coaching role as well.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who we’ve mocked and laughed for the longest time with their questionable decisions regarding the front office and coaching staff are years ahead of the Canadiens in that department. Leanne Henderson has been serving as the Leafs’ Director of Hockey Operations since 2018. Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser is Senior Director of Player Development since May after being Assistant Director since 2018. Another Hall of Famer, Danielle Goyette is Director of Player Development. Decorated figure skater Barbara Underhill is a Skating Development Consultant. Judy Cohen, who graduated with a degree in journalism from Boston University, turned her career into data tracking and was hired by the Leafs in 2017 and now holds the position of Analyst, Hockey Research and Development since 2018.

Long gone are the days when a General Manager can run a team accumulating Air Miles, watching a few games and conducting deals in smoke-filled rooms. Today’s game has gone global and every bit of technology and knowledge is needed in order to win that elusive Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens have a rich history in being one of the classiest organizations in the NHL. Now is the time to bring in the best minds the world has to offer regardless of their gender or orientation.

For the rest of us, we wish France Bélanger nothing but continued success in her new role. Here’s hoping this opens the door for many overqualified women who were told “no” in an antiquated provincial culture in which men still rule with an iron fist and women are given roles because it looks good publicly and allows them to reach a tax cut quota.