There are reasons no major pro sports league in North America has dual coach/GMs. It puts athletes at risk, sets up potential conflicts and allows for abuse of power while diminishing professional standards. Yet it’s where the PWHL is headed in San Jose.
When the PWHL hired Troy Ryan as the new head coach and general manager of PWHL San Jose, they were putting in place an individual with an abundance of coaching experience.
PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford touted Ryan saying he "has excelled in leadership roles" and "has a keen understanding of what it takes to build and lead a high-performing team..."
Ryan could be a fit for coach or general manager in San Jose, but the PWHL's decision to give both roles to one person puts the safety and rights of players heading to San Jose in a precarious situation, opening the door to a conflict of interest, while taking a visible step back in the professionalism and standards of the league.
There are many reasons why professional coaches and general managers remain separate. There are examples of individuals doing both, but it occurred in organizations where that individual still had a direct superior within the team, never under single -ntity ownership.
Immediately following Ryan's dual hiring, players, agents, league and team staff reached out to The Hockey News to express concern over the situation, and what it means for players, who continue to fight for improved rights and protections in the fledgling league.
Chief among concerns was where players, agents, and staff would turn if they had concerns over coaching, player treatment, or if a player was unhappy with their situation or the environment in San Jose.
Typically the general manager would be the first point of contact for the union, players, and player representation in such a situation. In San Jose, players unhappy with their situation, ice time, utilization, development, who face broken communication, or for a player searching for a potential trade, they are now forced to communicate directly with their head coach who decides those ice time and development opportunities, but also the GM who could make the decision to remove them from the roster altogether.
The potential for any voiced displeasure, a conversation that otherwise may not involve both a GM and coach, could impact future contract negotiations and the perceived value of a player.
Another significant issue for players and organizational success, is that it's the general manager's role to assess the effectiveness of the head coach.
If a coach fails, mistreats athletes, struggles to communicate, or acts outside of the cultural or ethical lines of the league, it is the general manager who must act to rectify the situation. In professional sport, it could involve replacing the head coach.
Without multiple layers of protection, and multiple paths for communication, power and decisions can go unilaterally unchecked, and the only option for a player now is to go to the league. It’s a situation where things could easily get worse for that player, rather than better, particularly with the number of players on unprotected, non-guaranteed contracts.
In San Jose, the league's single-entity ownership model will also be put to a test.
In other leagues, on the rare occasions an individual served the dual role as both coach and GM, the organization still had a team president, directors, and independent ownership above the coach/GM as watchdog. In San Jose’s scenario, those safeguards do not exist unless the league itself takes an unprecedented interest in overseeing PWHL San Jose to a degree above all other teams in the league. The league oversees all teams, but internal issues have gone unchecked in the past like the "toxic" and "unprofessional" culture in Minnesota during the league's inaugural season. Following that scenario, sources have confirmed the league denied Ken Klee of becoming a combined coach/GM in Minnesota, instead opting to keep him as coach, and bring in Melissa Caruso to serve as GM.
When asked about the hiring and concerns raised by players, staff, and stakeholders, a PWHL spokesperson responded saying the league has various avenues for players and staff to report concerns. And despite the lack of oversight in a single-entity league for an individual appointed to hold such autocratic power over a team, the league claims their ownership structure can actually help protect against issues.
"Player and staff wellbeing remain priorities across the PWHL regardless of team structure," the PWHL wrote in an email to The Hockey News. "Individuals across the league have multiple avenues available to raise concerns related to safety, workplace conduct, treatment, or wellbeing, including the PWHLPA, Onrise, and REES, which provides an independent and anonymous reporting pathway, or various league staff in People & Culture or Player Experience, in addition to Hockey Operations."
"Additionally, the PWHL operates under a single-entity structure with league oversight across all teams and key organizational decisions, including hiring and employment matters. General Managers do not operate independently in these areas. While the combination of General Manager and Head Coach responsibilities is not common, it is not unprecedented in professional sports... We are confident in his ability to build a strong culture in San Jose while continuing to serve behind the bench,” the PWHL wrote.
The Hockey News also reached out to the PWHLPA for comment, however the union did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the PWHL has mechanisms for reporting significant wrongdoing, the ability for players and agents to address issues in-season related to a player’s positioning on a roster, ice time, development, to request a trade, or discuss their well being without fear of it impacting either ice time, or a future contract, remain a concern without separate individuals in coach and general manager roles.
Similarly, the potential for a real or perceived conflict of interest is magnified. When it comes to contract negotiations, which at times can become contentious by nature, there will no longer be separation between the individual deciding wages, and the individual deciding ice time and opportunity. It could present internal conflict where a coach/GM rides highly paid and underperforming players because their own reputation rides on the success of their signing.
With regards to staff, the general manager is also responsible for the hiring of medical and training staff, as well as support staff for the team. As the league stated, the PWHL does hold oversight in hiring, which is one level of protection that still exists. Generally, while team staff work collaboratively, there remains ethical separation and protections for medical staff and players. Often the general manager serves as a buffer between various departments and staff within a team. In San Jose however, all staff, no matter their role, and the players themselves, will all answer to one person. In San Jose, that one person has no team president, no team board of directors, and no owner that is singularly vested in PWHL San Jose to hold account.
And while Ryan is a widely respected individual in women’s hockey, he is an individual, and he faced questions of conflicts of interest this season.
In Toronto, with the connections to Hockey Canada, concerns over the perceived conflict of interest between player recruitment, as well as medical and scouting information, came under critique .
It involved, as sources have confirmed, a third party complaint made to Hockey Canada regarding the hiring of a physiotherapist, who was in a personal relationship with Ryan, to Team Canada's medical staff. The complaint specified that players felt concern over privacy related to injuries and medical information being available to their head coach, who also worked in the professional league in which they played. Hockey Canada did not contact the complainant, and instead reviewed the situation internally.
In a statement to The Hockey News at the time, Hockey Canada said that "The safety and wellbeing of our athletes, coaches and staff is incredibly important for Hockey Canada and we take any allegations of potential conflicts of interest extremely seriously."
Hockey Canada however, did not bring the complaint to an independent third party for review.
Gina Kingsbury and Ryan also faced public criticism regarding their abilty to effectively balance their PWHL roles and Hockey Canada roles in an Olympic year. For Ryan, holding the role of GM and coach simultaneously for a professional sports team requires even more balance and a greater challenge, particularly for an expansion team.
In a professional sports league, issues related to the day-to-day operations of an organization, as well as player movement, signings, salary cap, managing reserve rosters, exploring trades, following free agents outside the league while working with scouting staff, communicating with agents and league staff regarding discipline, reviews, and league initiatives, are items that fall to GMs.
PWHL head coaches are involved in practice planning, game strategy and preparation, scouting opponents, video sessions, and physically travelling to games and coaching on bench, among many other roles. It’s a full-time job. So is being a GM. In San Jose, both full-time roles will be tasked to one person, as situation that does not respect the professionalism of the women who fought for better conditions in the PWHL as a league.
Ryan has held a dual role as coach and general manager before in the Maritime Junior Hockey League, but that’s where the practice works, in lower level minor hockey or junior leagues where teams do not have the same considerations, including contract negotiations and salary caps.
There are currently no coach/general manager combinations in the NHL, MLB, NFL, WNBA, NBA, NWSL, or MLS. The PWHL's recent hiring is the only such appointment in North America's five major sports.
When it comes to the treatment, care, and professional environment PWHL players have fought for, hiring a dual coach and GM, no matter who the candidate is, does not meet the standard. It’s unnecessarily unsafe, gives untethered power, opens the door for conflict, and is a massive step back for the professionalism of the league.