Manon Rhéaume, the first and only woman to play in an NHL game, is now a general manager in the Professional Women's Hockey League. The 54-year-old former goaltender was hired as the first GM of the PWHL's expansion team in Detroit.
Rhéaume, who played a period of a pre-season game for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 and again in 1993, says the new role brings her full circle. She has lived in Michigan for more than 20 years and worked in youth hockey there, including 11 years as girls' division director of the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club.
“When this opportunity came about in Detroit, it’s almost like everything I did in my entire life led to this,” Rhéaume said.
Beyond her NHL breakthrough, Rhéaume played 24 games of men's minor professional hockey and helped Canada win a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics, women's hockey's debut. She spent the last four years as a hockey operations and development advisor for the Los Angeles Kings.
The PWHL will expand to 12 teams in the 2026-27 season, adding Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton, and San Jose. The next draft takes place in Detroit on June 17.