Recently, the New York Rangers made a groundbreaking announcement that former professional hockey player Angela Ruggiero has joined the organization as a Hockey Operations Adviser. This is an exciting and historic move for the Rangers, as Ruggiero is the first woman to join an NHL team in a front office role.
Ruggiero is a four-time Olympic medalist, having won gold in 1998 and silver in 2002 and 2010. She also won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2004, which is given to the top female college hockey player in the United States. In addition to her impressive playing career, Ruggiero has also been involved in numerous hockey-related organizations. She served as a board member of the International Ice Hockey Federation from 2010 to 2018 and was a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission from 2012 to 2018.
The Rangers are thrilled to have Ruggiero join their team. General Manager Jeff Gorton said, “Angela is an incredible person and a trailblazer in our sport. We are thrilled to have her join our organization and believe she will be a great asset to our hockey operations department.”
Ruggiero is equally excited about her new role with the Rangers. She said, “I am honored to be joining the Rangers organization and am looking forward to working with the team’s hockey operations staff. I am passionate about hockey and am eager to help the Rangers reach their goals.”
The hiring of Ruggiero is a huge step forward for women in hockey and for the sport as a whole. It is inspiring to see a woman take on such an important role in an NHL organization and it is sure to open up more opportunities for women in hockey in the future.
