Color of Hockey: Thimm face, force for diversity in Germany

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of NHL.com's celebration of Women's History Month, he profiles Miriam Thimm, a coach who was one of the first Black women to play in Germany.

Miriam Thimm knew hockey was for her from the moment an uncle took her skating at a rink in Dorsten, Germany, when she was 7 years old.

"Figure skating is not really me," Thimm said. "And I saw a couple of guys in my neighborhood playing hockey. So I started playing hockey. The first time I had a hockey stick in my hand, I totally knew it was for me."

Thimm became one of the first Black women to play and advance in hockey in Germany. The 44-year-old retired forward played in the German Women's Ice Hockey League -- or DFEL -- and for the women's national team. She has coached men's and women's hockey in Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Bergkamen since 2013.

Thimm has become a face and a force for diversity in German hockey and beyond.

She is a member of the Ombudsperson, an independent arbitration panel that examines cases of racism and sexism in the German Ice Hockey League, the country's highest professional men's league, and in DEL 2.

"It's sad, but I'm still needed," Thimm said. "Germany is trying their best, but there is still a long way to go."

Thimm is also member of the NHL Coaches' Association's Female Coaches Program, which was launched on International Women's Day in 2020 to help support the development of female hockey coaches at all levels of the sport.

The program helps women coaches in several areas including skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking and career advancement opportunities.

"It's obvious there is an underrepresentation of women in North America, both in coaching and other roles in hockey operation," NHLCA executive director Lindsay Pennal said. "Europe is even further behind. Having Miriam coaching at the women's pro level in Germany is incredibly important. She's acting as a trailblazer for other women who aspire to coach at that level, and as a role model to young women and girls who are playing."

Martin Hyun, a former DEL player who is CEO and co-founder of Hockey is Diversity, a Berlin-based international nonprofit group dedicated to ending discrimination in the sport, said Thimm "means a lot to the hockey world."

"She's important because as all the Western hockey countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria (are), all of them are affected by demographic change," Hyun said. "That means the sport has a chance to diversify. Having Miriam not only being visible, but also having experience within the hockey world, I think that would inspire a lot of young girls. Her work ethic, the way she brings a much different perspective to the game are important."

Thimm said it was challenging being a Black woman playing hockey in Germany in the 1990s.

"I think the first time I really recognized and experienced that I was different was when I went from my hometown to the DFEL, to the first league," she said. "When I first stepped on the ice, players started yelling at me and stuff like that.

"It was pretty tough. As a player, you try to keep it in the back of your mind because you don't want it to change your game. I had perfect teammates. But it was really tough for me because the crowds were yelling at me the whole time. So after the game, we'd have to call the police to bring me safe to the bus."

But the negative receptions didn't discourage her because hockey was her sanctuary.

"Hockey was my island because my mom was pretty sick at the time, she had brain cancer," said Thimm, whose mother died in 1996. "Hockey was my happy place, and I didn't want to let people in my mind who want to interrupt or stop me."

Thimm recently stepped down as coach of Bergkamen, a position she held while she also worked as a high school physical education, to pursue her dream of coaching fulltime.

"I love the game," she said. "The game gave me so much. It helped me out in difficult situations in my life, especially when my mom passed away. Of course, I was struggling with racism sometimes, but I also made a lot of friends. I love the hockey community."