Montreal Canadiens: Three Women Perfectly Qualified for Habs GM Job

Danielle Goyette

Danielle Goyette had a Hall of Fame playing career, winning two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal as well as eight gold medals at the World Championships for Canada. She was indicted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 after scoring 113 goals and 105 assists in 171 career national games.

Since retiring as a player, Goyette was the head coach of the Calgary Dinos women’s team for 14 years, winning a CIS national championship in 2012. She has also been behind the bench as an assistant coach at the 2014 Winter Olympics, a couple of World Championships as well as twice serving as assistant coach at the Women’s Under-18 Hockey Championship.

Goyette is currently one of the few women working in an NHL front office. She was hired last summer to be the Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The native of St-Nazaire, Quebec works with players on the Maple Leafs as well as their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. This would give her a deep knowledge of the game at the two highest levels of professional hockey.

You might think a short stint in a front office does not meet the credentials to be a general manager for the Montreal Canadiens. However, with Gorton at the top, he really calls the shots like a traditional general manager. Whoever is hired to be the actual general manager is really working under Gorton, or more likely, in tandem with Gorton as well as others in what should be a vast team of professionals that are trying to build the Montreal Canadiens into a good hockey organization once again.

What the Canadiens need as a general manager is a smart, professional hockey mind. They do also have to speak French. Goyette checks all the important boxes here.