NHL's role in Global Sports Mentoring Program paying dividends

NEW YORK -- Brenda Moller exited the elevator of the NHL corporate offices in New York on Oct. 17. She was greeted by executive vice president, club business affairs Susan Cohig and others she would get to know as colleagues for two weeks at a host organization for the U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program.

She saw her image on a huge screen, a slide show flaunting credentials of the 35-year-old founder and CEO of Dale Vuelta, a purpose-driven company based in Mexico City that turns ideas into achievement.
Call it fate, divine intervention, good luck or all the above, but the next day Moller was introduced to Luc Robitaille, president and alternate governor of the Los Angeles Kings, in town for the NHL Board of Governors meetings. So Moller was able to network with a Hockey Hall of Famer and executive of an NHL franchise that formed the Mexico City Jr. Kings program in the fall of 2018.
"We shared information," Moller said. "Of course, I will follow that up because that would be a great starting point for us to do things for girls with hockey."

This marks Moller's second year in the program, a full, immersive experience at the NHL after virtual work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She returns to Mexico City on Sunday to leverage firsthand knowledge that will make her action blueprint a reality.
The plan is a three-day event tour -- she calls it a festival -- for girls ages 8-12 and 13-16 to try soccer and basketball, the two most popular sports in Mexico, compete in a mini tournament, and offer something new ranging from skateboarding or ultimate frisbee. Schools and academies will be recruited to provide a place to continue playing, gauge participation, evaluate training and hold sessions for women coaches to help with their careers.
Results will be measured in relevance, the backbone of Moller's vision.
I use the word 'relevant' because I don't want it to be the biggest or the flashiest or the sexiest," she said. "I want it to be relevant because I want to have the most relevant women and girls' tournament in the country."

Moller graduated from the European Sports Business School in Valencia, Spain, with a master's degree in Strategic Design and Innovation and International Sports Management. She founded Dale Vuelta and named it after "Dale la Vuelta," which means "Turn it around" in Spanish.
Her presence at the NHL proved to be impeccable timing; six women were hired or promoted to assistant general manager of an NHL team since January and more than 100 are working in various roles this season, the 10th anniversary of the GSMP and 50 years since Title IX gave women equal opportunity in education and sports across the United States.
The NHL released its inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Report on Oct. 20, a document detailing accelerated efforts in recent years and a demographic study of the workforce at NHL and club levels.
Revelations included the NHL growing its female fan base in the United States by 4.9 million (30 percent); that four out of 10 United States-based NHL fans are women and that female cable TV viewership on ESPN and TNT rose 61 percent last season, when the American Hockey League's roster of on-ice officials included 10 women for the first time.
There's a lot more work ahead. Step One is what NHL executive vice president, social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs Kim Davis called a stake in the ground.
"There's an important part of the conversation that goes beyond girls and it's also having women in positions of power," Moller said. "And I believe that as long as we care to empower the whole parts of the puzzle it's going to be easier. It's not just about the girls having a chance of playing, it's also having the right people to work with them.
"It's also having women in decision-making spots that can actually help make sport not only more available for girls but more inclusive and more diverse and more accessible to people."

Outreach into the Hispanic market was extended when the Arizona Coyotes played the Dallas Stars in the Kraft Hockeyville USA 2020 preseason game in El Paso, Texas. One year later, participation in the El Paso Jr. Rhinos program increased by 14 percent and a new Introduction to Hockey program established by the El Paso Rhinos of the North American Hockey League had 51 registrations from the start of September to mid-October. The Kings will run a private, 80-person camp for the Mexico City Jr. Kings program in January after two teams visit Los Angeles for the Tinseltown Thanksgiving Tournament.
Growth is limitless. Moller mentioned Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, an undrafted rookie who became a six-time WNBA All-Star and assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and told too often she wasn't ready to be a head coach in the NBA because of her gender. She guided the Aces to the 2022 WNBA championship, the first coach to do it in a debut season excluding the inaugural season in 1997.
Hammon said after defeating the Connecticut Sun: "For me, it's not really about proving other people wrong, it's about proving myself right."
Moller's objective is proving herself right, too. Her time at the NHL was only the beginning, one she thought equal to the cause.
"It's because they care," she said.