This Day in Hockey History – July 20, 1992 – The Wright Girl Scout
“The NHL used to be a good ol’ boys organization, but it’s changing.” With those words, Ray Payne, a scouting supervisor for the San Jose Sharks, laid the foundation for women to work in new capacities for the NHL. On July 20, 1992, the Sharks hired 26-year-old Deborah Wright as a part-time scout, making her the first female NHL scout.
Wright had a solid hockey background. She played right wing at Carleton University in Ottawa and in the Ottawa Women’s Senior Hockey League between 1982 and 1984. During the 1985-86 season, she coached an Ottawa boys’ team. She then lived in Anjou, Quebec and scouted throughout that province. Between 1987 and 1990, she scouted for Trois-Rivieres, and from 1989 to 1991, she did scouting for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. During that last season alone, she attended 325 games. Payne said of her, “She’s got a tremendous track record. She is simply right a lot of the time.”
Some people are drawn naturally to certain aspects of the game. Wright commented, “I like hockey but mostly I enjoy seeing the development of players.” She explained how she realized this. “I was marking too many notes in my line-up when I went to watch games. I did it out of habit. Someone suggested that I get into scouting.” She continued, “Even if there were 20 women working as scouts in the NHL, I’d still do it. I didn’t do it to prove a female can do it. I just wanted to advance.”
To advance her scouting work, Wright actively pursued the San Jose franchise for two years. They had just debuted the season before and did not have a regular scout in Quebec. She felt that being bilingual would give her an advantage there. “It is very important in the interview process with players. You want a player to feel at ease so that he can speak to you in whichever language is comfortable and natural for him. It also helps to speak French when dealing with scouts and team personnel in Quebec.”
The Sharks hired Wright to scout part-time for a year, joining the fifteen others scouting for the franchise. She would be based in Montreal and “evaluate talent for the club at the junior and collegiate levels” in the province, eastern Ontario, and eastern parts of the U.S. Payne noted, “Knowledgeable people in hockey circles spoke very highly of Deborah’s capabilities. She was clearly our best candidate. Because of her ability, we were not afraid to make this progressive move.” The Sharks vice president and director of player personnel, Chuck Grillo, added, “Having a female in the business is unique, but more importantly, the hiring is a credit to her ability and love for the game of hockey.” He continued, “We are concerned with drafting the right people and Deborah shows that she can evaluate playing talent, as well as help us determine what kind of person we are selecting. She provides us with a good opportunity to upgrade our staff.”
Wright did her best not to be intimidated by being the first female scout (even beyond the NHL). “Once you show you know what you’re doing, it shouldn’t be a problem being accepted. The most important thing was being accepted by the Sharks. It’s going to be nice to work with people who are willing to give me a chance to show what I can do.”
Ultimately, the Sharks decided not to renew Wright’s contract. However, the news broke on July 1, 1993 that Angela Gorgone had been hired as the inaugural scouting coordinator for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Throughout her NHL career, Gorgone broke still more barriers as she became the first female assistant general manager and then manager of hockey operations. Since then, the NHL has continued to hire women in select positions but has lagged behind the other three major leagues in other full-time positions. To date, females remain under-represented in NHL operations.
Additional Sources:
- Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice(Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
- “Sharks scout breaks the ice,” San Francisco Examiner, 21 July 1992, pp. C1 and C3.
- Jane Gottesman, “Shark’s new scout helps break barriers,” Santa Cruz Sentinel, 23 Aug. 1992, p. B3.
- Gregg Drinnan, “Quarterback gives it up for hockey,” Regina Leader-Post, 17 July 1993, p. F3.
- https://www.rawcharge.com/2018/10/17/17825104/the-nhls-reluctance-to-change-continues-to-leave-women-on-the-outside-looking-in
- https://sihrhockey.org/__a/public/column.cfm?cid=1&aid=459
