Julie Healy’s imprint on Concordia women’s hockey
The hard work and dedication of the former Stingers assistant coach have not been forgotten
Concordia inducted former women’s hockey assistant coach Julie Healy into the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 20.
Healy, 67, has dedicated her entire life to women’s hockey, collecting many accolades throughout her coaching career. She was an assistant coach for the Stingers from 1985 to 1999 and won five gold medals for Canada in various competitions.
Current Stingers head coach Julie Chu considers Healy an inspiration in women’s hockey.
“It’s incredible because [Healy] has a huge impact on Concordia and [is] just a leader in so many capacities,” she said. “I’m very lucky because I’m standing on the foundation that she was able to build.”
Healy assisted Les Lawton, former Stingers head coach, in winning 11 conference championships and two national championships in her 15 seasons with the team.
“I feel that she’s a huge builder for our hockey team and for women’s hockey in general. We’re super lucky for what we have now,” Stingers goalie Jordyn Verbeek said. “When she was coaching here, they didn’t have much. But now to be playing on this ice, I feel so lucky.”
Healy kept inspiring others across North America when she went to work for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) as a project manager in 2024.
She only stayed at the PWHL for four months, having found another opportunity. She doesn't believe in spending too much time in one job, and urges everyone to look outside the box for opportunities.
She still maintains that helping the PWHL get off the ground was “an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Women’s hockey has been growing exponentially, from the creation of the PWHL in 2023. The National Hockey League (NHL) also brought the first woman behind a bench this season.
It was no surprise to Healy when Jessica Campbell got a job as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
The newly-inducted hall of famer was Hockey Canada’s director of female hockey while Campbell captained the 2010 under-18 Canadian team to a gold medal.
Although Healy has had many positive experiences working in women’s hockey her whole life, she had to overcome many obstacles during her time coaching a male-dominated sport.
“For most of my life, I was a volunteer coach. I didn’t get paid a lot,” she said, “but putting myself in these situations to be challenged, to learn and to grow, was great because I got to develop different skills to change the game in a way.”
Healy hopes her inauguration into Concordia’s Sports Hall of Fame can inspire youth and grow women’s hockey. However, she said that what will really inspire a young girl is the expansion of women’s sports across the globe.
“With the PWHL being so front and centre, I think that young girls can now aspire to be something that wasn’t there before,” Healy said. “I think that’s the biggest impact we’re going to have at growing the game at all levels because you have something to shoot for.”
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 5, published November 5, 2024.
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