Mark Joslin was named coach of Toronto of the National Women's Hockey League on June 7, becoming the first Black person to guide a team in the NWHL's six years of existence.
The 57-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, replaces Digit Murphy, who coached Toronto in its inaugural season. She remains the team's president.
"I wish my mom and dad were alive to share this with me, they would be very proud," said Joslin, the son of a Black mother and white father. "I'm very honored and excited for the opportunity, especially the direction the league is going in. It's been a dream of mine to always coach pro hockey."
Joslin has worked in hockey for more than 20 years, most recently with Toronto of the Ontario Junior Hockey League from 2016-20. He was the team's general manager for the first two seasons before adding coaching responsibilities.
Before that, he coached for Aurora and North York of the OJHL, operated his own skills program, was a scout for Oshawa and Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League and coached in the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
"Getting my first chance at pro, I'm going to bring tons of integrity, tons of fire, tons of passion to these girls to get to the next level if that's what their wish is," he said. "I'm going to make sure that they have the same passion and fire that I'm going to bring."