TORONTO – Three-time Olympic medallist Haley Irwin is returning to hockey this fall.
But she won’t be on the ice.
Instead Irwin, who won gold with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014 and silver at the most recent Olympic Games in 2018, has hung up her skates in favour of a clipboard, agreeing to become the Ryerson Rams women’s hockey team’s full-time assistant coach.
“I am very excited to be joining the Rams family [and] I’m ready to get things started, to meet the players, and to help guide them through the season,” said Thunder Bay’s Irwin, in a release posted this week to the Ryerson athletics department website.
“The players can expect me to show up every day with a positive attitude and strong work ethic. I like to have a balance of work and fun. I value accountability, respect, work ethic, and I am someone who will hold myself and the players to a high standard.”
Rams coach Lisa Haley said it was clear from the start that Irwin had an instant connection with her players.
Haley said Irwin’s addition to the coaching staff is a huge boost for the team, which reached the OUA semifinals last season.
“I am so very excited to have someone of Irwin’s experiences join our program,” Haley said. “She has been a proven winner and leader at every level. Having personally coached her at both the world championships and Olympics, I am fully aware of the character and integrity Haley brings to the table…[and] I know she will bring that same blend of talent, grit, and passion in her role as our full-time assistant coach.”
Irwin won an NCAA championship at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2007-08 and reached the Clarkson Cup final three times in four seasons playing in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
Irwin officially starts her new role on Thursday, but plans to take part in Hockey Canada’s under 18 high performance camp in a coaching role before assuming her new duties.
Correction: The story initially indicated Haley Irwin had retired from playing, which she has not. We apologize for the error.
