in the spotlight – JAYNA HEFFORD – From the Ice to the Front Office

When you think about Canada’s women’s hockey, you immediately think of Jayna Hefford. She represented her country on the game’s highest stages for almost two decades as a five-time Olympian and twelve-time IIHF World Women’s Championship. We sat down with the Hockey Hall of Famer to talk about what drives her passion for the game and her transition from a dominating forward on the ice to continuing her trailblazing career in the front office as the senior vice-president of hockey operations for the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which kicked off a historic inaugural season this past year.

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Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself, what do you like to do when not promoting your sport or the PWHL?

Jayna Hefford: I have three children: an 11-year-old daughter, a 9-year-old son, and a 7-year-old daughter. So, my life revolves around their activities. And they’re into soccer, baseball, hockey, and all sorts of other sports and activities, so that’s how I spend a lot of my time. If I do have time to myself, I enjoy cooking. That’s one thing I’ll do if I have time at home.

Spotlight on Business: How were you introduced to hockey? What were the early days like

playing on what then would have been considered a boys’ team and sport? Do you remember encountering any obstacles or were there any challenges that you faced in your early playing days?

Jayna Hefford: I’ve always had such a passion for the game. I have a brother who’s two-and-a-half years older than I am, and he played hockey. My parents were very involved throughout our careers, and Hockey Night in Canada was a tradition in our home. So, I’m not sure if it was an innate passion I had or something that was learned by watching my brother. But for as long as I can remember, it’s all I wanted to do. 

I grew up in Kingston, Ontario and I started playing when I was about six years old.  There weren’t a lot of girls playing at the time.  When I started there were about three girls/women’s teams in all of Kingston so played in a boys’ hockey league.  From my experience, it was great. I felt like I had a lot of support from the coaches and my teammates were my best friends. But I think there was always a little bit of the undertone when you have a girl on a boys’ team and potentially taking a spot, but it was never voiced to me.  I am sure some naysayers were thinking there’s no real future in it, as there was no women’s professional league and women’s hockey wasn’t in the Olympics. I had an amazing, supportive family who always encouraged me to play even if I was the only girl on the team.  They could see how much I loved it and how hard I was willing to work towards getting better at the game.

Spotlight on Business: There was not a women’s league at the time when you started playing hockey, so who did you look up to? Who helped you realize your potential as a hockey player and motivated you to get to the next level in your playing career?

Jayna Hefford: As a young girl, I was a huge Wayne Gretzky fan. I loved watching him play, loved what he represented—that sort of humble superstar. I just loved the way he presented himself, in addition to the way he played the game. As a young girl, my goal, like any hockey player was to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup. Fortunately, nobody told me any different, which I think was a great thing at that age. 

I switched to girls’ hockey from 10 until I was 18.  My coach, Beth Duff, was extremely dedicated to helping us grow as hockey players and build girls’ and women’s hockey programs in our community. She was a driving force to help us get to the next level as athletes and as people.  She also helped to develop the character side of the game in players.

When I was 13 years old, I went to my first overnight hockey camp and I met Margot Page, who played for Team Canada. I had been introduced to her after the 1990 World Championships, and I had been able to watch it on television. That’s when I realized, I wasn’t going to play in the NHL, but I could play for Team Canada.  It was the first time I’d seen women play the game at the highest level, and it was on television, and it was sold out. And Margot was a player on that team. So that summer at hockey camp, she was the first female player that I had ever met that played the women’s game at a high level. So that was my early introduction to women’s hockey, and she is someone I looked up to in the women’s game after spending my childhood idolizing Wayne Gretzky. 

Spotlight on Business: There are always ups and downs in any sports career. But tell what it was like heading into the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and getting to wear the Maple Leaf and play for Canada. What was it like to score what would be the gold-winning goal to secure the win over rival Team USA?

Jayna Hefford: I’d have to take it back a little bit. My first year on the national team was at the 1997 World Championships. I was 19 years old and made the team in my first year. That was my introduction to playing alongside national team players, both at university and with the national team. Then I played my first Olympics in 1998, and that was the inaugural event of women’s hockey for the Olympics. We lost the gold and took home silver. But there was something different about that one because I think in 1998 it was all so new. Nobody knew what to expect when going to the Olympics and all the intensity and pressure of it all. But going into 2002, we had this fire within us. We now had the experience of going through a full cycle. So again, there is always a huge amount of pride anytime you get to wear the maple leaf. But that one was pretty special, having the opportunity to go back to the games after losing gold in ‘98, and having a chance to get that redemption in 2002.

Looking back on it, it’s obviously a huge honour and privilege for me to be able to say that I scored to make it 3-1 with one second left in the second period. It was such a momentum shift to score that last second before you go to the dressing room for an intermission. And then in the third period, the US did score another goal to make it 3-2, so my goal stood as the winning goal. But in the moment, you’re just trying to play the game and compete. So now it’s more of a moment that other people bring up to me. But it’s a proud moment for me, to be able to contribute like that in such a big moment to the team.

Spotlight on Business: You had an extremely decorated career on the ice winning numerous medals, championships, and awards. What are your top three memories or moments of your on-ice career?

Jayna Hefford: There are so many memories of being with your team and traveling on those long bus trips or around the world. But if I think about on-ice moments, I think that the top three would be winning gold in Salt Lake City, which was our first-ever Olympic gold medal for Canada and women’s hockey. And a few days later the men’s team won, and they hadn’t won in 52 years. So that feeling of redemption after losing in ‘98, but also coming back to a country that was just so proud. To have the men’s and women’s teams both come home with an Olympic gold medal, that was a pretty special time.

The second one would be 2010. Winning Olympic gold here in Canada, that was a totally different challenge, to be able to do it in your own country. And again, in a hockey-mad country, the intensity and the pressure and stresses that went along with that were different than any other Olympic Games. So that was a really special one to win.

My third one would probably be my final Olympic Games, which was 2014 in Sochi and ended up being our fourth consecutive gold medal. That one was really about how it happened in the game, being down two goals with less than five minutes to go in a gold medal game. What it felt like to be a part of a team like that, that could crawl out of that hole and get back in the game and then finish it in overtime. That was the first time an Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey was awarded in overtime. So, lots of special moments and emotions went along with that one, and it also happened to be the last time I wore the jersey with the national team making it extra special for me.

Spotlight on Business: Once you retired what made you want to move from the ice to the front office?

Jayna Hefford: It all comes back to my passion for the game, and how much I love just being a part of it. Before I officially retired, I spent some time coaching with my good friend and teammate, Vicki Sunohara at the University of Toronto. But I always felt like coaching wasn’t the long-term plan for me. I knew I wanted to stay involved in the game somehow. I didn’t know what that would look like, because there weren’t a lot of opportunities at that point to be involved in the women’s game. In 2018 I had the opportunity to be the interim commissioner of the CWHL in its final season. It was challenging and inspiring all at the same time, because we knew what we had to do to get it right. [There was] lots of optimism for what was going to come out of that, as difficult as that time was. But that’s when I learned that I enjoyed the business side and the challenges that went along with growing the women’s game, by still having that player mindset.

Spotlight on Business: In May of 2019, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) a non-profit organization that advocates for greater professionalism in women’s ice hockey was founded, helping to lead the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) in 2024. How has this league transformed women’s hockey? Can you tell us a little about your role as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations?

Jayna Hefford: Basically, everything that touches hockey is something that myself and my team are part of. So, it started with hiring general managers in all of our markets, and then the coaches and other staff. We do everything for officiating, player safety rules, anything on ice. We work with the union and the players’ concerns, working collaboratively with them. So, there’s a huge breadth of work that we do. Basically, anything that touches hockey comes to our group. I have a fantastic team of people I work with who all love what we’re doing.  They are passionate about the game and understand our work is meaningful and is helping to shape and grow the game now and for the future. 

Spotlight on Business: The PWHL started with a players draft and six teams, 3 in Canada and 3 in the US, reminiscent of the NHL’s Original Six. Why do you think the league’s inaugural season has been such a success both in terms of attendance and popularity with the hockey fans?

Jayna Hefford: I think you’d have to start with the quality of the play. The level of competition is as high as we’ve ever seen. Many well-known, skilled players are currently in the PWHL, and if you pay attention to the recent draft, we’re getting more and more players from around the world who want to be a part of this league because of the quality of play that it entails. 

I would also touch on accessibility and ensuring that games are accessible to a wide audience through affordable methods. Whether through ticket pricing, broadcast, or streaming options, bringing more fans into the game is key.  A lot of research was done to make sure we were in the right [locations and markets] that were well-established hockey markets in both Canada and the US, but also markets that have a large fan base and strong grassroots programs for the original six teams and any teams coming into the league moving forward. 

Finally, the league’s efforts to connect with local communities through events like youth programs and other types of fan engagements. Our players have been incredibly accessible to their community, so it’s helped to build a loyal and supportive fan base.

Spotlight on Business: What have you learned and what changes are coming for the 2024/25 season? The PWHL and all six of its teams are owned by the Mark Walter Group, would there be an opportunity in the future to look at other owners and additional teams in the future?

Jayna Hefford: This first season has been a learning process. And we’ll continue to learn each and every game. We haven’t been afraid to be innovative and do things differently. Some of the rule changes that we made have been really well received: the jailbreak goal, the gold plan around awarding the first draft pick, and picking your own opponent in the playoffs. So, we’re going to continue to try and think outside the box and do things a little bit differently without changing the game itself.

In the 2024/25 season, we’ll play more games. By year two we’ll be up to a minimum of 30 games. We’ll look to do more neutral site games. We had great success in Pittsburgh and Detroit this year, and now we have a lot of markets that all want to attract the game to their cities. Fans were talking about wanting to see team names and logos. In advance of season two, we will be launching team names, logos, and jerseys for all six teams. So that’ll be exciting for fans. 

In terms of the league itself, the Mark Walter Group is very committed to this league, as demonstrated by the eight-year CBA. I can’t speak much more beyond that regarding their intentions in the long term. But we’re starting to think about expansion. That has been one of the biggest surprises for me, how quickly that became a part of the conversation. Nothing’s imminent right now, we want to be diligent in the process and not rush anything. But it’s certainly something that we’re starting to talk about.

Spotlight on Business: As someone who has success both on and off the ice, what advice would you give to a young female interested in pursuing a career in hockey as a player or elsewhere in the organization?

Jayna Hefford: I would say don’t be afraid to think outside the box because we are continuing to create all kinds of opportunities in the game.  And something that may not exist today is something that may very well exist in the future. So, if there’s an area of expertise and passion, I think it’s worth pursuing that. There are going to be way more opportunities in the future than there are today and don’t be afraid to think outside the borders on those.

by Amanda Stellisano