Florence Schelling makes hockey history taking front office reins

BERN, SWITZERLAND (660 NEWS) – On the ice, Swiss goaltender Florence Schelling had a storied career.

She won an Olympic medal, was named 2014 Olympic MVP in Sochi, earned countless accolades in the NCAA and was dubbed top goaltender at the 2012 world championship.

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Now, she’s looking to make the same impact off the ice, this time in the front office of SC Bern of Switzerland’s top league as the first woman to become general manager of a professional men’s team.

And she’s only 31.

“I do have a certain resume that will surely help me in that position,” Schelling, who is fluent in four languages, recently told Sportsnet. “I played in the US, I played in Canada, I played in Sweden, so I do have that international experience. I saw many different teams, clubs around the world, and how they worked and the culture they were in.

“On top of that, I have my MBA degree. All those kinds of things in the end tied together will hopefully help me in that new position.”

Being a trailblazer isn’t anything new to the goaltender. She suited up in over a dozen games for EHC Bulach in Switzerland’s second division — the first woman to ever play in the men’s league.

She’s also tried her hand at coaching with Switzerland’s under-18 women’s side.

“All my life, I’ve been very goal-oriented,” she said. “It’s just the person I am. I don’t do things halfway. If I’m in for something, I’m in all the way. I’ll work as hard as I have to, to achieve that goal.”

READ MORE: Hockey trailblazer looks to inspire next generation

Because of COVID-19, the season has already come to a close for SC Bern.

“It’s been a rough time in Switzerland,” she admitted. “There were no playoffs. That was really tough for all the clubs and players. The last two games of the regular season were played without spectators. It was a weird atmosphere, and it wasn’t much fun to watch.

“Now, the situation is difficult to find out all of the different scenarios when we can pick up practices again and when the season will start again. It’s all up in the air. We have to prepare for all different kinds of scenarios.”

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