Report: Natalie Darwitz out as GM of PWHL's championship team
Jan 6, 2024; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney (35) defends her net from Montreal forward Maureen Murphy (15) during the second period in a PWHL ice hockey game at XCel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Natalie Darwitz will not return as general manager of the Professional Women's Hockey League's Minnesota team, despite a championship season, The Athletic reported Friday.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup in the league's inaugural season on May 29, defeating Boston in five games.
The league draft and the debut PWHL Awards ceremony are set to be held next week in the Twin Cities.
Darwitz, 40, is a Minnesota hockey icon and was hired as the GM last September by the league, which owns all six teams. As with the other league general managers, she was responsible for building the team from scratch.
Per The Athletic, Darwitz was told she wouldn't be back next season and given a choice of different jobs in the league. She also reportedly was given the option of announcing her voluntary departure in a statement.
The league didn't confirm the general manager's departure to The Athletic, and no announcement has been made about her future.
Darwitz, who grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Eagan, was a member of two NCAA championship teams at Minnesota and won three Olympic medals and three world championships for the United States.
She was a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's 2018 class and was enshrined in the IIHF Hall of Fame last month.
--Field Level Media
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