Current Pittsburgh Penguins amateur scout Krissy Wendell-Pohl was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was announced yesterday by the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Wendell-Pohl is the first woman, and 22nd player or builder, with ties to the Penguins to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and has been an amateur scout with the team since 2021.
“During our amateur scouting meeting in Vegas yesterday getting set for the draft we received the news that Krissy was being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame which allowed us to celebrate the moment together with Krissy. Krissy is one of the most humble people that you will meet in the game and everyone on our staff is so happy to see her tremendous career honored with the announcement of her induction,” said Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manger Kyle Dubas. “Krissy is an admired by her peers and colleagues across hockey. Her resume as a player, coach and executive speaks for itself and we would like to congratulate her on this much-deserved recognition of her talent and influence on the sport of hockey.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Krissy and her family on her induction into the Hall of Fame,” said Penguins Special Assistant to the President and General Manger Amanda Kessel. “Growing up, Krissy was a player that I looked up to and aspired to be like. Knowing her and working alongside her has taught me that she is as great of a person as she is a player. She is one of the best players to play the game and I am grateful to have her as a colleague and friend.”
Wendell-Pohl, a two-time Olympian in 2002 and '06, was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 following a prolific playing career at the collegiate and international level. The 5-foot-7 forward represented the United States in six World Championships and two Olympics Games. Captaining the U.S. to their first Women's World Championships gold in 2005, she was also named the tournament's MVP scoring nine points (4G-5A) in five games. She, along with Team USA, won five silver medals and one gold at the Women's World Championships ('99, '00, 01, '04, '05, '07). Wendell-Pohl recorded an astounding 247 points (106G-141A) in 147 games with the U.S. National Women's Team and won silver and bronze at the 2002 and '06 Olympic Games, respectively.
The Brooklyn Park, MN native had an incredible collegiate career with the University of Minnesota co-captaining the Gophers to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2004 and '05. During her time, she amassed 237 points (106G-141A) in her three seasons placing her fourth all-time in program history, 11th all-time in NCAA women's scoring and fourth all-time in points-per-game (2.35). Pohl played a big part in the Gophers' 2005 NCAA championship run scoring the game-winning goal against Wisconsin for the WCHA title following that up with a hat trick against Harvard in the NCAA title game in Durham, N.H.
During her final season with the Gophers, Wendell-Pohl put up 104 points (43G-61A) in just 40 games which won her the Patty Kazmaier Award for best female collegiate player. She was the first Minnesota native and WCHA player to receive such recognition. Wendell-Pohl also co-holds the NCAA record for most short-handed goals in a single season (7) and most career short-handed goals (16).
Prior to her collegiate career, Wendell-Pohl played hockey at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park where she scored 219 goals in just two seasons and 165 points (110G-55A) in her senior year alone. Not only was she the first player in U.S. history, both boy or girl, to score more than 100 goals in a single season, she accomplished such feat twice and continues to hold the record for all-time leading scorer in women's hockey.
Wendell-Pohl was a multisport athlete as a child and was only the fifth girl to start in the Little League World Series in 1994. She is also a member of the Little League Hall of Excellence.
This year's Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Monday, November 11 in Toronto. She joins Colin Campbell (builder), David Poile (builder), Natalie Darwitz (player), Pavel Datsyuk (player), Jeremy Roenick (player) and Shea Weber (player) as one of the seven members of the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
