The former NCAA Division I women's hockey forward from Minnesota State University is coach and girls hockey manager for the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights. She was hired April 1, 2021 to run a program that didn't exist three years ago. She joins Millard to talk about her role in growing the game in Las Vegas and giving girls the same experience traditionally reserved for boys.
Hockey in Nevada has increased 171 percent since the Golden Knights joined the NHL for the 2017-18 season, with a growth of 668 percent of players under the age of eight and 327 percent of girls and women playing the game.
"It's a startup program," Hudspeth said. "It's going to take time here in winning and developing kids and bringing kids up from underneath to get them going. We already do have very good, successful girls hockey here. It's going to take a minute."
Hudspeth looks back at her mentors and experiences that helped shape her coaching philosophy -- confidence, culture, commitment, and a passion to grow the game for everyone - and shares thoughts about some of the challenges facing women's hockey, including what needs to happen for a professional women's hockey league to flourish.
"The Chirp with Daren Millard" (https://audioboom.com/channels/5041807) features interviews with players, executives, alumni and other personalities around the game. You can share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #ChirpMallard.
