SEATTLE — Cammi Granato became the first female scout in NHL history when she was hired by the Seattle Kraken in 2019.
Now, Granato is working for a new team after the Vancouver Canucks recently named her their new assistant general manager.
Granato is no stranger to the Winter Olympics. On February 8, 1998, Granato scored the first-ever Olympic goal for the U.S. women's hockey team. Nine days later, the captain of Team USA helped lead the United States to a gold medal as they knocked off Canada 3-1.
Click here to watch Hall of Famer Cammi Granato reflect on winning gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Granato said those were special times, as her team tried to lay down the blueprint for women's hockey in the U.S.
"We were just playing a game that we loved,” Granato recalled of the 1998 Olympic team. “We wanted to be on the ice every day, sometimes, three times a day. We lived in Lake Placid, New York, at the training center. We had no other thing in our life there but hockey, and we all loved it. I think that passion and the love came through in the way we played.”
It took some time, but the U.S. women’s team finally struck gold again in 2018 when they beat Canada in a thrilling shootout.
"It was really special when the 2018 team won because it was 20 years since we had won, and it was a long journey for them, you know, to get back on the podium and for our Team USA to be on the top of the podium,” said Granato. “So that was special, and I didn't really understand the word pioneer when we were playing, but I think as we get older, we understand what people were meaning, and we were the first to pave the way.”
And Granato continues to be a trailblazer.
In 2019, the Seattle Kraken hired Granato as the first female pro scout in NHL history.
Through the eyes of a scout, she likes what she sees from the U.S. women’s team.
"I think there is a really good chance they can win gold,” said Granato. “They have a good mix of veterans and youth, and we are excited to cheer them on.”