A Winner At Every Level

This blog often shares stories about great things that former Canada West players are doing, but I first got into the SDHL scene when former Manitoba defender Erica Rieder joined MoDo. MoDo, at the time, also boasted a couple of players who played at the University of Montreal in Lore Baudrit and Marion Allemoz who were standouts with the French National Team as well. Allemoz was always a good player at the university level in the RSEQ in helping Montreal to two U SPORTS National Championships in 2013 and 2016, but she really showed her skills skating professional in the SDHL where she was a consistent scorer.

It was bittersweet when Allemoz announced she was retiring from the game this spring at the age of 32, but Allemoz was only hanging up the skates for new opportunties as she decided to bring her skills and knowledge to the coaching world. Allemoz had already been coaching as an assistant coach with the French U16 National Team, but she was contacted by Linköping in August about joining the squad as an assistant coach under Simon Hedefalk. Allemoz jumped at the opportunity to get back to the SDHL as she accepted the position.

However, a month into the season saw Hedefalk step down from the head coaching position due to family reasons, giving Allemoz the biggest opportunity in her 33 years of being in and around the game: head coach of an SDHL team! Two months after taking over, Allemoz hasn't lead Linköping to top of the table yet, but she's making her mark in one of the top professional women's hockey leagues on the planet!

"I'm grateful that Linköping gave me their trust and this opportunity," Allemoz told Liz Montroy of IIHF.com. "For me it's about where I can bring the team – how I can develop the players, what I can bring as a coach. I believe in hard work and work ethic. I also want to give the players responsibility."

Linköping director Niclas Björkman seemed to have full confidence in Allemoz's ability despite having no head coaching experience on her resumé, calling the promotion "a natural solution."

"During her time with the team, Marion has shown great skill," Björkman told Hockeysvierge. "She is new as a coach, we are well aware of that, but we will do everything to support her and the team in the journey ahead."

Jumping into the SDHL as a head coach after a month on the job as an assistant coach would be a big ask for any experienced coach. Allemoz was taking over after having completed her coaching degree in 2020 and after hanging up the skates in May. Clearly, the learning curve would be steep, but she took over a team that started the season 2-4-0-0 under Hedefalk. The odds were stacked against her, but Allemoz has never backed down from a challenge. Could she get the squad to start climbing the standings?

Since the change on October 12, Allemoz hasn't seen massive success, but Linköping is still in the battle. She's 1-6-4-1 in the eleven games she's stood behind the bench as head coach, but Linköping is three points back of SDE for fifth-place in the SDHL despite their struggles. Allemoz picked up her first win on October 22 as Linköping downed AIK 5-4 in overtime, and her first regulation win as had coach came earlier today as Linköping beat AIK 3-0. Learning on the fly is never easy, but it seems that Allemoz is building the right culture for success at Linköping.

"[My goal] is to bring the team to the best place I can," said Allemoz told Montroy. "I really want to build a strong group."

There's still a lot of hockey to be played this season, so the chances of Linköping to move up the standings is still good. They have two games in-hand on SDE, but will play one of those games on Wednesday when they face Djurgårdens which will be a stiff test for the Linköping squad once again. No one said the task would be easy as Djurgårdens has a 16-point advantage over Linköping, but the two games they've played thus far has seen Linköping play well despite losing 4-2 and 3-2 in those games.

The key for Linköping is that they've been playing extremely well over the last few weeks, posting a 0-1-3-1 record. Yes, it's only seven of a possible 15 points in their pockets, but winning those games in overtime might be the team showing a little moxie as Allemoz's tactics and systems start to show fruit. The key will be sustained, consistent play when the schedule sees MoDo and Luleå show up in early January.

Wins and losses aside, Allemoz taking over Linköping is good for the game overall as her efforts will open doors for others just as it did when she became the first Frenchwoman to play at the U SPORTS level, just as it did when she was the first Frenchwoman to play in the CWHL, and just as it was when she helped France play in the top women's division at the World Championship for just the second time in the country's history. None of that happened overnight, it should be noted, so expecting her to be the female equivalent of Scotty Bowman right out of the gate are expectations that would never be met.

There likely won't be an induction ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Fame for Marion Allemoz, but she's made significant impacts on hockey in Canada, Sweden, and her home country of France. She's a hockey icon in France where her play has inspired girls to play, and I have a feeling that her impact on the coaching world will be felt for years to come. Marion Allemoz has always put in the work in order to be successful, and she'll do the same behind the bench.

I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty cool that the new head coach of Linköping learned a lot from her time in Montreal. Marion Allemoz was a winner with the Carabins, and it will only be a matter of time until it happens with Linköping.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!