Emily Engel-Natzke wanted to make the National Hockey League as a video coach.
When the Washington Capitals named Engel-Natzke video coordinator on Thursday, she not only accomplished that goal, but she also became the first woman to hold a full-time position on an NHL coaching staff.
“I’ve never kind of really looked at myself in that lens, and I think if you may have asked me a week ago, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be a big deal," Engel-Natzke said. "But with everything that’s going on kind of geopolitically, I think I’m more so just honored to be, I guess, the first.