Coyne Schofield discusses Blackhawks role, motherhood in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with…" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today, we feature Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield, who's also player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kendall Coyne Schofield has had several great descriptors in her hockey career. Among them, gold medalist for the United States at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, six-time gold medalist at the IIHF World Women's Championship, player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks and her autobiography, "As Fast as Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success," co-written with Estelle Laure.
This summer, Coyne Schofield will add one more: Mother. She announced over Twitter on March 1, via her dogs Penny and Blue, that she and her husband, Chicago Bears offensive lineman Michael Schofield, are expecting their first child.
"The most special title, that's for sure," Coyne Schofield said.
"We're excited for the journey ahead. There's no doubt in my mind I can come back and continue to play at a high level after having a baby. There have been people who have done it before me, in the sport of hockey, outside of hockey and I'm drawing inspiration from them. Hopefully, my journey will also inspire others to know they can be a mom and an elite athlete and a high-level hockey player, a hockey coach and other things as well."
Coyne Schofield isn't done accomplishing goals on the ice, but that will be put aside while she concentrates on the next chapter of her personal life. NHL.com caught up with Coyne Schofield on getting motherly advice, her work with the Blackhawks and more.
You mentioned you've talked with other women who have had children and continued to play. Getting good advice?
"Of course. I've spoken to with Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Emily Matheson about their journeys and just advice they would give me. They provided me with excellent advice and support. Ever since the news came out, everyone's been extremely supportive and excited. It's just reassuring to hear that there's no doubt in anyone's mind that I can make a return.
"Sometimes it's difficult because there's a perception out there, the first question I get is, 'Are you done with hockey?' Sometimes that question can get frustrating, but at the same time, my goal is to return, and I've had teammates and people in other sports as well who have reached out and said, 'You can do it.' I've definitely reached out and gotten great advice from my teammates who have gone through it."
How has your work with the Blackhawks continued through this?
"It's been good. Everyone's been extremely supportive. My boss, Mark Eaton (assistant general manager, player development) and my partner Erik Condra (player development coach), they've been extremely supportive. [Things like,] 'If you're not feeling too great, let me know,' but it's obviously not in my DNA to take a day off.
"They've been extremely supportive. They have kids themselves, so they know more about the journey than I do. I've asked them some questions as well, but nothing's really changed in their eyes, other than me leaving not leaving to go play in a hockey tournament or hockey game. Now it's more traveling for work and things like that. They've been super supportive since the moment I told them."
How much have you learned in your three seasons with the Blackhawks?
"It's been awesome. Every day you learn something new but every day you get a little more comfortable and confident in what the job entails. With player development, you're on the road a lot. There's not really a script of what you do every day, so you start to figure out what you need to do, how you need to do it, when to check in with the prospects, when not to, what they like best, what we like best. A lot is just going through the experience of the job in order to figure it out. Obviously, Mark Eaton has been extremely supportive as far as any questions than I have. Erik and I work extremely well together.
"I've been able to be on the road quite a bit here, since I'm not able to physically play at this moment, so that's been enjoyable. Just building the relationships with the prospects has been awesome. One of them reached out to me, 'Congratulations! I hope it's a future hockey star!' So it just shows the relationships you build over the years with these players. Being three years in, that's something I don't take that for granted. It's something that's important in this role."
The Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association is getting closer to launching a women's pro league. How exciting is this?
"It's extremely exciting. It's been a long time coming, but first and foremost, it starts with the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) process. That's not an easy process, but at the same time, the fact that we're starting with a CBA is an incredible first step in the vision we've had for the past four years.
"So often, women in professional sports are handed a card and are told to play this card, regardless of whether you like it or not. We're oftentimes told, 'Be grateful you have an opportunity and place to play.' Our vision the last four years, and I would say 40, is for that playing field to be equal, to be equitable and to be supported in professional manner that the game has so sorely needed and missed over the years. So, the CBA process, it can be timely, it can be hard, but I think it's the indication of what we've envisioned for so long and that's the professionalism that we know in a lot of sports."
Brianna Decker retired recently. What are your thoughts on that and her impact on the game?
"She had a tremendous impact on the game. I was sad to see her go but so happy to see her go on her own terms and to know that she's so happy in the role she's in at Shattuck St. Mary's as an [associate] coach. The transition has been seamless for her in the sense of going from a player to a coach. She's going to continue to make an impact on this game, as much of an impact if not more as a coach, which is hard to say because she's made such an incredible impact as a player. I missed her over the year that she's been out since the Olympics, but I'm really happy for her, really proud of her, and I can't wait to see her go into the (Hockey) Hall of Fame one day."
I've asked you this several times, but again, with the strides we keep making in this game, does it feel we're finally making good progress?
"Yeah, it definitely does. I think when you stop seeing the headlines of 'the first' and 'the only,' and 'the first' and 'the only' and it's just a name and another person getting a job in hockey and it happens to be a woman, that's when you start to feel and see the progress.
"I think we're starting to see that. We're seeing women get hired in roles and it doesn't have the caveat of 'first' and 'only.' It's just the next one and so we're definitely seeing the progress. I think that's something that excites me about the future women's professional league is the opportunity this league is going to present in all aspects of the game, hockey and business."