When it comes to building a winner, PWHL Ottawa’s Mike Hirshfeld is thinking long term
In a room full of media, executives, league officials and Detroit Red Wings staff, Mike Hirshfeld appears the most relaxed, leaned back with legs crossed, thoughtful in his responses.
Speaking with Daily Faceoff ahead of Ottawa’s matchup with Boston at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mi., part of the PWHL’s Takeover Weekend, the Ottawa general manager could have been having a cup of coffee on his off day or holding a straight flush draw with the river card about to be flipped. Just 48 hours before the league’s first Trade Deadline, Hirshfeld gave the impression his club likely wouldn’t be active and that he would “be surprised if we do anything.”
Of course, Ottawa ended up being the busiest team at the Trade Deadline, acquiring forward Tereza Vanisova from Montreal in exchange for defender Amanda Boulier, then trading for forward Shiann Darkangelo from Boston for Lexie Adzija and Caitrin Lonergan.
Maybe he was trying to throw off the scent, but the Ottawa GM hinted during our interview at the difficulty of making moves in a league with no precedent, where the lack of a minor-league system full of prospects and draft picks to trade can force teams to make difficult decisions.
“If I want to trade with a team, I have to create a hole on my team,” he said. “If there’s a forward spot I want to fill, all of a sudden I have a spot in my defense that I have to fill.”
Whether it’s trades or signings or adding to his staff, one thing became clear: Hirshfeld is always thinking long term.
‘A great foundation’
A lawyer by trade, Hirshfeld worked as head of the NHL Coaches’ Association before joining the PWHL. He got his foot in the world of sports and the city of Ottawa through the Ottawa Lynx, the Triple-A minor-league baseball team affiliated with the Montreal Expos, working in their media relations department.
When he took the job with the new women’s league, he said it was imperative to build a good infrastructure, setting the franchise up for success this season and beyond.
“We wanted to make sure we had a great foundation in place,” he said. “Ottawa is a great city and a great community. Our players all live within 10 minutes of the rink, and the support the (Ontario Hockey League’s) Ottawa 67s have shown for women’s hockey has been exciting.”
Hirshfeld said as time passed, it became easier to ingrain the franchise with the community. Part of the appeal has been the talent on the ice and new fans seeing how high the quality of hockey has been.
“I think everyone who’s watched the league has been blown away by the brand of hockey we play,” he said. “Every game is so competitive, and these women are just incredible athletes. I don’t think the public knew what they were going to be walking into.
“I don’t think we ever envisioned that we have 8.500 fans at nearly every game, that we would have fans coming two hours early and lining up,” he continued. “The way (Ottawa) adopted our team and our players into the community, we never thought it would be this good.”
Hockey and business
When Hirshfeld was first introduced to fans and media, he admitted that he would primarily focus on the business side of things, bringing in smart hockey minds to take care of the on-ice decisions. But as the season progressed, he’s gotten more involved with player personnel.
He mentioned picking the brains of former NHL head coaches like Claude Julien and Jacques Martin. They brought in Brian Durocher, former head coach of Boston University’s women’s team, and Jess Campbell, who coaches the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
He also brought on Joe Bohringer, who spent 30 years in baseball and was an assistant general manager for the Chicago Cubs when they won the World Series in 2016, their first since 1908. He stresses that hockey expertise is important, but having minds who can build a sports franchise the right way is crucial.
“We’ve really tried to bring in a diverse group of people to really give us some knowledge and expertise,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re looking at things the right way and being collaborative in our decisions.”
Building for the long term
When the team was planning ahead of the draft last September, they wanted to win the league’s first championship like everyone else, but like all their decisions, there’s down-the-road planning that goes into it.
“If you look at our roster, Gabbie Hughes and Ashton Bell are 24-years-old. It’s important for us to see them grow over time,” he said. “Some teams in this league, and it’s not a criticism, but some teams in this league drafted players that are older to win now. They didn’t think about what the one-year, two-year or three-year plan is. That’s not to discredit anyone, but that’s just our approach.”
Hirshfeld said after the season and in free agency, they want to seek out players who want to come to Ottawa. When they first made calls before the season, many of the players knew very little about Ottawa, so spots like Toronto, Montreal and Minnesota were much more appealing.
“For us, the first thing was changing that mentality of the players out there, making them think that Ottawa is a pretty damn good place to play. Now players want to come and watch us build something really special.”
Be sure to read Daily Faceoff’s other profiles of PWHL general managers, including: