Seattle Kraken Assistant Coach Jessica Campbell Initially Ignored Email About NHL Job Because 'She Thought It Was Spam'

Campbell made history on Tuesday, Oct. 8 by becoming the first woman to coach in the NHL

Jessica Campbell made hockey history on Tuesday, Oct. 8, becoming the first woman to appear behind the bench as an NHL coach when she and the Seattle Kraken kicked off the season with a matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

But the history-making moment almost didn’t happen because Campbell, the 32-year-old assistant coach, told The Athletic she initially didn’t open an email from head coach Dan Bylsma because she "wondered if it was spam."

During the first period of the Kraken's 3-2 loss, ESPN’s broadcast team relayed Campbell's story. “How about this story,” play-by-play announcer Mike Monaco told viewers during a break in the action. “Dan Bylsma initially had a hard time getting in touch with Jessica Campbell, so he sent an email through her personal website and the subject line was ‘coaching inquiry’ and she told us all at pregame she thought it was spam.”

Monaco and the rest of the ESPN team chuckled about the story before continuing to celebrate her first NHL game. “It is history, and she is a very impressive person,” commentator Ray Ferraro said during the broadcast.

Related: Seattle Kraken’s Jessica Campbell Becomes the First Woman to Coach in the NHL: ‘An Important Day’

Campbell was specifically recruited by Bylsma, 54, after the coaching pair spent a season behind the bench together with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken minor-league American Hockey League affiliate.

“During our tenure in Coachella Valley, I saw firsthand Jessica’s commitment to player development,” Bylsma told PEOPLE in a statement in July after the team announced her hiring. “Her ability to establish relationships with her players, specifically Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, was an important factor in this hire.”

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Campbell also told PEOPLE that she was “humbled” by the news she got the NHL job, making her the first woman in the NHL’s 105-year history to become a coach.

"I'm reminded often [to be making history as the first female coach] and it just puts a lot of meaning into the work," she said then. "I know that if the team has success and that my impact is a good one, it could potentially open up doors for others and open eyes for others to maybe think differently. I try to really keep my eyes fixed on what matters every day to be in the now, to be in the moment, to stay in the trenches with the players. And though I am honored to be the first, I don't want to be the only.”

Related: The NHL's First Official Woman 'Cup Keeper' Talks Journey to Her Job at the Hockey Hall of Fame (Exclusive)

The Saskatchewan, Canada, native previously made hockey history in July 2022 when she was hired as a coach by the Firebirds, also making her the first woman to coach in the AHL.

Prior to her coaching career, Campbell was a former captain at Cornell University before playing three seasons professionally with the Calgary Inferno in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and another season with the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden’s Division 1 league. Campbell also led Canada to a gold medal as the MVP of the 2010 IIHF World Championship tournament.

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Before Tuesday’s game, USA Today reported that the trailblazing NHL coach told reporters she was “focused on the task at hand” but also allowed herself to soak in the groundbreaking moment before puck drop.

"The moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench … I'm really going to try to honor what it is,” Campbell said. “I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game.”

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