Two of the best athletes from outside the hockey world will be taking part in the festivities on NHL All-Star Thursday.
The league announced on Wednesday that Olympic gold medalist Tessa Virtue and Jonquel Jones of the WNBA’s New York Liberty will be serving as celebrity coaches during the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase on Thursday night.
Virtue, who will be on the bench for Team King, is a recognized as one of the greatest Canadian athletes, as she and longtime ice dancing partner Scott Moir brought home three Olympic gold medals, and multiple world championships titles in their careers. Their first taste of Olympic gold cam in Vancouver in 2010, and with the duo bringing home two during the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, as they also helped Canada win the figure skating team event. Virtue and Moir are the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.
On Team Kloss’ bench, Jones brings an exceptional pedigree from the hardwood. The four-time WNBA All-Star was named league MVP in 2021 while with the Connecticut Sun. She was on the Sun team that won the WNBA Commissioner Cup last season, and will be playing on a stacked Liberty team this year.
The PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase will cap off an exciting opening night of the NHL All-Star Weekend, which features the Player Draft. The 20-minute exhibition will take place at Scotiabank Arena, featuring the best players in the league, including many familiar faces like Kendall Coyne Schofield and Marie-Philip Poulin.
The two teams are named after PWHL advisory board members Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss. Former Olympians Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Team King) and Meghan Duggan (Team Kloss) will serve as coaches.
The showcase will take place at 8 p.m. ET, and is going to be televised on Sportsnet, TVA Sports and ESPN+.
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