Olympic women’s hockey gold medallist Kendall Coyne Schofield is defending NBC Sports analyst Pierre McGuire after he was accused by some of “mansplaining” the sport to her during a NHL broadcast.
After becoming the first woman ever to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition last weekend, Coyne Schofield was invited to be a guest commentator for the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.
During pre-game banter, McGuire explained to Schofield which benches the teams were on while the two of them stood at centre ice.
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“Tampa’s gonna be on your left, Pittsburgh’s gonna be on your right,” McGuire explained to the Minnesota Whitecaps player, pointing to each side. “What are you expecting out of this game? We’re paying you to be an analyst, not to be a fan tonight!”
McGuire was criticized on social media following his comments, with many deeming the banter sexist.
“Yeah….don’t mansplain hockey to a five-time gold medalist,” reads a tweet.
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“Great job treating this gold medalist you’ve advertised as a guest analyst like she’s a fan who won a contest. Embarrassing,” reads another.
On Thursday, Coyne Schofield issued a statement defending the broadcaster, saying she’s known McGuire for a long time.
“I know he respects me as a hockey player, a woman, and a friend and that is why I didn’t think twice about our on-air exchange when it happened,” the 26-year-old National Women’s Hockey League star said. “I didn’t give it a second thought until after the game when I received countless messages.”
Coyne Schofield said she re-watched the broadcast and understands “why people would think it was inappropriate.”
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“If I were watching it at home and saw a man say this to a woman athlete, I would have been offended,” Coyne Schofield admitted. “While I wish it came out differently, I know Pierre doesn’t question my hockey knowledge.”
Coyne Schofield also said she knows McGuire was excited for her.
“What IS important is for every young girl reading this to know it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of my hockey knowledge — because I do not doubt my hockey knowledge.”
McGuire, who has been calling women’s hockey games for more than 15 years, including several Olympics, said in a statement Thursday his “excitement got the better” of him.
“I should have chosen my words better,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for Kendall as a world-class player, analyst of the game, and role model.”
–with a file from the Associated Press
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