Coyne Schofield goes from All-Star Skills to NHL broadcasting debut

Kendall Coyne Schofield continued a whirlwind week by making her NHL broadcasting debut during NBCSN's coverage Wednesday.

The U.S. Women's National Team forward was an analyst for the Pittsburgh Penguins-Tampa Bay Lightning game on "Wednesday Night Hockey" from PPG Paints Arena. On Friday, she participated in the Bridgestone Fastest Skater at the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills in San Jose, becoming the first woman to take part in the skills competition.

Coyne Schofield spent the first period Wednesday "Inside the Glass" with Pierre McGuire and delivered an astute breakdown of Tampa Bay's defense after a first-period goal by Pittsburgh's Riley Sheahan.
"All four Lightning players were facing the wrong way," Coyne Schofield said.
Coyne Schofield provided analysis both before the game on "NHL Live" and during the first intermission then joined John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk in the booth for the final two periods. She also played bubble hockey with Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin before the game for a feature that aired during the broadcast.

Coyne Schofield, whose time of 14.346 seconds in the Fastest Skater was less than a second behind winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (13.378), won gold with the United States at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. She also plays professionally for Minnesota of the National Women's Hockey League.
"I was just thinking don't bite it on the wall, go as fast as you can and enjoy the moment," Coyne Schofield said on-air of her performance in the Fastest Skater competition Friday. "Just an historic moment that broke a lot of barriers. Kudos to the NHL for allowing that moment to happen."
Her appearance Wednesday did not mark her first TV broadcast; Coyne Schofield was a communications major and sideline reporter as a student at Northeastern University.
"I know the game because I've been playing the game for a long time, so I've got that going for me," the 26-year-old said before the game. "I'll definitely have to shake off the rust, but at the end of the day I'm going to be who I am, showcase my personality and have so much fun with it."