The Rams women’s hockey team have added an Olympic calibre coach onto their coaching staff.

Haley Irwin, three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist in Canadian women’s hockey, is now an assistant coach for the Ryerson Rams women’s hockey team.

Her resume is expansive. From the Olympics to World Championships to the CWHL, Irwin lives and breathes hockey. Since 2007, she’s been a member of Canada’s National Women’s Team while also coaching teams on the side.

Last year, the Rams finished sixth in OUA standings, a big step back from the 2017-18 season when they finished first with a whopping 50 points. Ryerson will be looking to reclaim hockey dominance and adding an Olympian great way to light a fire under the players.

Irwin played college hockey in Minnesota at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and she graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science in physical education. She knows what these student-athletes have to go through to balance athletics and education so it will be easy for her to relate to the students.

She shows her players that it is possible to both be an elite athlete and graduate with a degree. That will inspire her players and add a spring to their steps as they have someone who has literally done it all at their disposal.

On top of her experience as a student-athlete, she also has a ton of experience in big situations. She will be counted on to keep the team calm under big games and will be a steady influence on the team throughout the season especially when things aren’t going their way.

The Rams’ season opener is on October 18 and it will be interesting to watch the impact such a big name has on the team throughout the season.