CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with BFL CANADA, has announced the winners of the BFL Female Coach of the Year awards for the 2020-21 season, concluding today with the national award winners. Introduced as an international marketing partner in October 2019, BFL CANADA’s commitment is to focus on growth and development opportunities for women in the game, on the ice and behind the bench.
Through the program, one high-performance coach and one community coach from each province and the northern territories have been recognized, with a national winner in each category.
BFL FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE WINNER
An assistant coach with the Titans du Cégep Limoilou since 2014, Tanguay has helped her team win four provincial championships in five appearances. She began coaching shortly after her playing career with the Titans, and enjoys developing as a coach and building relationships with athletes. Tanguay also served as an assistant coach with the Hawks de L’Est for three seasons (2015-17), and serves on the board of directors of the Fonds dédié au développement du hockey féminin dans la Capitale-Nationale, an organization to promote the sport and support girls and women staying involved in hockey. She also volunteers at various tournaments and camps in Quebec City, and has a bachelor’s degree in sports intervention from Laval University.
BFL FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL COMMUNITY WINNER
A dedicated coach on the ice, Forcand is an advocate for women in coaching who uses her influence to give opportunities to other women entering the coaching world. She began her coaching career as an assistant with the Winnipeg East Saints U15 AA team in 2013, and her passion led her to the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy in 2016. At the academy, Forcand has served as an assistant coach for both boys’ and girls’ teams, including U15 AA, U13 AA and U11 A3. For the past three seasons, she has served as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy U11 Female A3 team. In addition to coaching, Forcand is also the female hockey coordinator for the academy, and has been a board member with the St. James Assiniboia Minor Hockey Association since 2019.
The selection committee included Olympic gold medallists Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Gina Kingsbury, director of women’s national teams with Hockey Canada, and Caroline Ouellette. They were joined by Steve Lacoste, vice-president of sports and leisure with BFL CANADA, and Teal Gove, manager of hockey development with Hockey Canada.
A complete list of winners for each category by province and territory can be found at HockeyCanada.ca/BFLCoach.
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