The Chicago Blackhawks hired Brigette Lacquette ahead of the 2021-22 season, making her the first indigenous woman to scout for an NHL team.
Brigette Lacquette is no stranger to breaking down barriers by now.
But it doesn't get any less impressive each time she does it.
Lacquette became the first indigenous person to be selected to Canada's Olympic hockey team in 2018 when she joined the women's national team at the Pyeongchang Winter Games, helping them capture a silver medal following a heartbreaking loss to the United States in the gold medal game.
If that weren't enough, Lacquette has also suited up for Canada in three World Championships over the span of six years, taking home two silver medals and one bronze medal for her efforts.
Fast forward to today, however, and Lacquette has achieved another historic milestone, as the Chicago Blackhawks officially hired her ahead of the 2021-22 season to their scouting staff, making her the first indigenous woman to scout for an NHL team.
As Lacquette revealed in an interview with The Canadian Press' Donna Spencer, her duties for the Blackhawks involve scouting all players who have been drafted into the NHL and currently play in the WHL. While her focus was primarily centered around the teams in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, Locquette shared that her scouting territory has recently extended into British Columbia, encompassing the WHL's entire Canadian-based contingent of teams.
Lacquette has a history when it comes to scouting young players, too.
In fact, earlier in December, Lacquette was on hand in Calgary to scout the selection camp for the Canadian men's world juniors team, and, later that very weekend, suited up for the PWHPA in their game against the Canadian women's team in the same area.
It doesn't get more multi-faceted than that.
With Lacquette making strides in an NHL front office, here's hoping her efforts open the door for more diverse voices to join the big-league ranks in the years to come.