Duggan draws on experience as top women's player, captain in Devils role

Meghan Duggan was inside the executive offices of the New Jersey Devils with general manager Tom Fitzgerald and assistant Dan MacKinnon, interviewing for the position of manager, player development, figuring out six months into retirement how to fill a void created by no longer playing hockey.

It's when Duggan opened the book on four years recovering from the worst moment of her career, the United States under her captaincy feeling like they didn't win a silver medal as much as they lost gold to Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The time between Sochi and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where they won gold, was one of transformation, rediscovery and rebranding in her life.
"My leadership was challenged," Duggan said. "You've come up short twice. You just captained the team in 2014, loss of a gold medal in heartbreaking fashion. You cannot stay the same and expect a different result."
Duggan told Devils executives about learning to become a better athlete, teammate and captain through the pain of blowing a 2-0 lead with 3:26 remaining in the third period, Canada forward Marie-Philip Poulin scoring with 54.6 seconds left to tie the game 2-2, then Poulin's 4-on-3 power-play goal at 8:10 of overtime winning it 3-2.
Four years later the result was different, a 3-2 shootout victory against Canada in PyeongChang, the final game of Duggan's international hockey career and the start of another transformative period. Her story left Fitzgerald and MacKinnon convinced she could help lead Devils players and prospects through the pain of a rebuild, helping to teach them what it takes to win.
"The fact that she already had a handle on that was, rather than just strength and conditioning and getting faster on the ice, that was sort of the extra piece," MacKinnon said. "The players today are smart and they're selfish in a good way. They want to know that everything that we can do as an organization to make them better is happening and they see Meghan as being a big part of that and really pulling that together."

Duggan was hired May 19, 2021. Ten months later the 34-year-old native of Danvers, Massachusetts is in lockstep with Fitzgerald, MacKinnon and all levels of the development department's operations. Her role has taken her to Newark, New Jersey, the Ontario Hockey League and Utica of the American Hockey League to study prospects and help with their life cycle.
The players who graduated to the NHL share one experience, and it hasn't been winning. The Devils have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in nine seasons, a five-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2018 Eastern Conference First Round. New Jersey (23-37-5) is last in the Metropolitan Division this season but has a foundation built around captain Nico Hischier and center Jack Hughes, the respective No. 1 picks in the 2017 NHL Draft and 2019 NHL Draft.
Duggan has the cache to get the prospects in Utica to listen if they want to play and win in the NHL. One lesson is learning how to lose, like Duggan was forced to do starting after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the first of two consecutive defeats to Canada in the gold medal game.
"When you think about development, as people and as players, there's a lot of different transformations and rediscovery and changes you have to make, and I learned a lot about how to do that in sport during that time period," Duggan said. "We're focused on everything that goes into making an athlete, where you can get one percent better and how you can grow in every single area both on and off the ice. That's a period of time in my life that I draw from in my role with the Devils."
Duggan has deftly balanced parenthood with her commitment to the Devils and the NHL Player Inclusion Committee. She's helped provide resources like skating and skills coaches, cognitive health and a sports psychologist catering to individual talents and needs. When Duggan was hired, the Devils were at what MacKinnon said was Level 1.0 of a development program created for a connection between NHL players and prospects. She's since helped take it to 2.0.
"Everything that we set out for her to hit, she's definitely exceeded those expectations," Devils executive director of hockey management Kate Madigan said. "What's she done in less than a year, I can't imagine seeing how player development is in three years by how much she's already done.
"There's a respect factor. There's leadership. All those skills you want in a person and a player, she has. When she talks to the players, they see it. They do listen. There is weight behind her words."
Duggan retired Oct. 13, 2020 and is raising a family with wife Gillian Apps, a three-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada (2006 Turin Olympics, 2010 and 2014). They have two children, George, 2, and Olivia, 2 1/2 months. She's an advocate for color, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, educating about diversifying leadership at the NHL and in hockey operations.
Between Jan. 24 and Feb. 10, the Vancouver Canucks named Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato as the first woman assistant general managers in NHL history. Patrik Allvin was hired by the Canucks on Jan. 27 to make him the first Sweden-born GM in NHL history.
"We've come a long way," Duggan said. "Ten years ago, we were nowhere near this. I don't think there was any women in hockey operations. I would be remiss not to mention how far we have come, but I look forward to a day where it's not a huge news flash, where it's not a gender thing, where people are being hired because they're qualified and effective."
The NHL and NHL Players' Association celebrated International Women's Day and Gender Equality Month in March by sharing stories of women who move the game forward for the next generation. A highlight was the "Rivalry Rematch" at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on March 12. Though Canada defeated the United States for third time in 33 days including the gold medal game at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, "It was about more than a winner or loser," Poulin said.
The players were welcomed by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Poulin was photographed with captain Sidney Crosby in the locker room the night before. Coach Mike Sullivan said his two daughters, Kiley and Kaitlin, got into hockey because of the rivalry.
"I love hearing that," Duggan said. "I was inspired when I was 10 years old, when I saw the '98 (United States) team win gold in Nagano. It lit a fire in me that carried me through my career, and I built my life around that goal and that dream, so very exciting to hear him say that."
A fire lit from the lowest point in her professional life helped Duggan win elusive Olympic gold, life experience that led her to the Devils and a role exceeding expectations.
"Exceeded 100 percent," Duggan said. "I can say that with certainty. I feel like I'm in a position right now where I wake up and I just I love my job every single day. And that's a really fun way to live your life."