PWHL Minnesota Fired GM Natalie Darwitz and Here's Why
The PWHL hasn’t existed for even a year yet but there is one trend that’s becoming noticeable: PWHL Minnesota not being able to stay out of the news cycle. Once again the eyes of the hockey world are on them, this time for parting with General Manager Natalie Darwitz just over a week after winning the Walter Cup. We’ll discuss what happened, first though I need to mention that all articles on here are now free. That said, if you have the money and find value in my articles, please financially support this newsletter with a paid subscription to ensure I can keep doing this. Anyway, onto what happened.
On June 7, last Friday, news came out that PWHL Minnesota General Manager Natalie Darwitz is out of a job, effective immediately. Head Coach Ken Klee will be acting as GM until a replacement is found. On Sunday Darwitz released a statement that reads:
"I would like to thank the State of Hockey for their support of PWHL Minnesota. As the General Manager of PWHL Minnesota, I gave my heart and soul to provide a first-class experience to the players, staff and fans. My goal was to grow the game of women’s hockey and to show young girls their dream could become a reality."
"I am very proud of the team and organization that was built and the championship we brought home to this great State of Hockey. At this time, I am not able to provide any details regarding my departure."
Official reasons have not been given regarding the departure from either the league, head coach, players, or Darwitz.
This is a quick reminder that the individual teams do not control their management. The league has full control over team management. They hire General Managers and fire them and no one else. There is no team owner to make such a decision. So this was a decision made by the PWHL themselves. Back on June 8, The Athletic got a statement from PWHL VP of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford and they reported her as saying this:
“It didn’t come down to one person or two people or three people. It was a long process, and a really deep dive into what was going on in the market. There’s a ton of factors that play into a really big decision like this. And it wasn’t easy.”
“Timing is never perfect. This team accomplished an incredible feat by winning a championship. … This was a decision that had to be made in the best interest of the league and the team.”
Now notice that she said, “It didn’t come down to one person or two people or three people.” That’s due to what league insiders and players have been telling The Athletic. The Star Tribune was the first to report on a potential rift in the organization, claiming that Darwitz and Klee clashed, and players were divided (Star Tribune claiming that captain Kendall Coyne Schofield supports Klee). What they clashed over was not reported. The picture didn’t become clearer when The Athletic released their article on the divisions (same article the quote from Hefford came from). They did get an anonymous quote from one player, though. This player was quoted as saying: “She was a terrific advocate, fantastic voice of reason and fair boss. I’m incredibly shocked she’s leaving because frankly, I can’t imagine anyone else filling her shoes.”
There are two other things worth mentioning about this firing. The first was that the Star Tribune did a brilliant job displaying just how important Darwitz was to the organization. Yes, she built a championship-winning team, but that wasn’t all. As reported by the Star Tribune, it was her connections in Minnesota hockey that allowed the team to play all their home games at Xcel Energy Center and practice at Tria Rink. This is important as Minnesota was the only team in the league to play all their home games in an NHL arena. Regarding Tria Rink where they practiced, she was able to get the rink to build a dedicated space for the team. It’s quite likely that none of this happens without Darwitz. So I need you to understand that this firing has more impact than you think. She did more than just build a championship team.
The final thing I find worth mentioning is that this isn’t the only major departure from the organization in the last year. Remember, Ken Klee was not this team’s first head coach. The first coach was Charlie Burggraf who left a week before the season began. For such a new (and successful) organization there has been a remarkable amount of turmoil.
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