DETROIT – PWHL Detroit has named a Hockey Hall of Famer and a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings to its coaching staff, the team announced Tuesday.
Danielle Goyette, who joins the team as assistant coach, has had a decorated career as a player, coach and player development executive. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017, the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013, and named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2018, in addition to winning three Olympic medals and nine IIHF Women’s World Championship medals.
“It’s a great opportunity,” the Quebec native said of her new gig. “It’s a new team and the first-ever professional women’s hockey team in Detroit, with a great mix of experienced and younger players. We have an exciting opportunity to build something special and create a team environment that will be fun and exciting to be part of, especially in a hockey city like Detroit.”
Manon Rhéaume, general manager of PWHL Detroit, said Goyette will be a great asset and a “fantastic addition” to their coaching staff, calling her “an extremely prolific coach and player many times over.”
“Danielle’s resume is incredible,” Rhéaume said in a news release. “Between coaching at the University of Calgary, Canada’s National Women’s Team, and spending time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, she understands how the game changes across all levels of the sport. Bringing in an assistant coach who has experience winning, both as a player and as a coach, is so important to PWHL Detroit.”
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In addition to Goyette, former Red Wings All-Star Jimmy Howard will join the staff as goaltending coach, bringing with him 14 years of experience in the NHL — including membership of the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning team.
Throughout his career, Howard played 543 regular-season games, recording 246 wins and 24 shutouts, and was selected to three NHL All-Star games. He also represented the U.S. at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 2017 Men’s Worlds.
“Jimmy knows what it means to be a professional athlete in Detroit and knows what hockey means to this city,” said Rhéaume. “He was so fortunate to spend his entire career in Detroit, and I know he’s going to bring so much knowledge to our team as our goaltending coach.”
Howard — a native of Syracuse, New York — retired from the NHL in 2021 and has since continued to coach in the Detroit hockey community, bringing his experience and insights to the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club, a premier youth hockey program.
“It’s such an incredible honor to be the goaltending coach for PWHL Detroit,” Howard said in a news release published Tuesday. “I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an amazing group of athletes and staff.”
Goyette and Howard join the PWHL Detroit coaching staff led by Head Coach Josh Sciba, which also includes assistant coach Molly Engstrom, appointed in June.
