After working as athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Kings in their 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, Aisha Visram is believed to have become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL regular-season game.

During the COVID-19 protocol, Visram filled in for support staff members absent from Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, Ontario Reign. Visram likely made history when she stepped in when three Kings support staffers were unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, according to the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society and Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers.

Background

Previously, she was employed by Adirondack of the ECHL and by St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. After joining the Reign as an assistant trainer for the 2020-21 season, she became head trainer in July. The most important thing Visram is doing is creating a pathway for more women to become involved in the NHL.

Thoughts From Visram

“When I was growing up the idea of women working in professional hockey was still a little crazy and I’ve been lucky that a lot of really qualified, driven women came before me to pave the way,” said Visram in an interview posted by the Reign Thursday night. “I think it means that the game is trying to be more inclusive, I think for a long time it had a reputation of not really being that way, and I think this push is showing that none of us feel that it’s an exclusive sport for a certain group of people, it’s for everyone. Every background. Every gender.”

Thoughts From Todd McLellan

Kings coach Todd McLellan emphasized the need for more stories like hers following Los Angeles’ 6-2 win. “That’s incredible, that’s great. We need more of that in our game,” said McLellan. “I can tell you that Aisha is a big part of our organization.”

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