Jackie MacMillan Speaks Out for the First Time Since Resignation at St. Scholastica

The former CSS women's hockey coach says her issues with the administration, and not the athletic department, ultimately forced her to step down.

DULUTH, Minn. – Eleven years ago, the St. Scholastica women’s hockey team began their first year as a program and their first ever head coach was Buffalo, Minnesota native Jackie MacMillan, who knows a thing or two about first-year women’s hockey programs. She was part of the first recruiting class at the University of Wisconsin back in 1999.

“There’s some growing pains that happen and you’re trying to set a culture and grow and build a program. And it’s not just about winning hockey games. It’s about having a winning culture,” MacMillan said.

And just like any other program, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing with her players.

“But the one thing that I had always said to my players is that you’re always going to get honesty. You may not always like it, but you’re always going to hear exactly what I’m thinking,” said MacMillan.

However, five years ago, MacMillan received a complaint from a student-athlete that went beyond the athletic department and involved the player’s parents, as well as the highest levels of the CSS administration.

“Because that person and parents didn’t like what they had to hear from the athletic administration, they go above that. My first experience was really a trying time for me as a coach and it kind of changed a little bit of who I was because you start coaching out of fear. And even though you have the support of the people directly above you, when you don’t have the support at the top or an understanding of what goes into being a coach and the people that have never been a part of that environment, you start to wonder,” said MacMillan.

And it would happen again. This past season, MacMillan learned of an off-the-ice incident involving one of her players. The plan was to address the situation after the season ended. But the player, who is no longer with the program, as well as her parents went to the administration.

“I was put in a situation that I don’t feel any coach should be put into when you’re asked to come to a meeting with a couple parent and a player and your superiors at that higher level above you with your boss,” said MacMillan.

We spoke with St. Scholastica’s Vice President of Student Affairs Steve Lyons and he says the family was persistent in wanting to have the meeting to be able to air out their grievances, and the administration was trying to avoid it in order to protect MacMillan. Lyons added that the meeting was a last resort to try and end the conflict. But MacMillan says it shouldn’t have gotten that far.

“I think it happens a first time, you can deal with it. You can get over it. You can get past it. It happens a second time, you’re not going to let it happen a third time,” said MacMillan. “At the end of the day, when everything that you’ve done in the past is not recognized, or even acknowledged, it makes it really difficult when it’s just silent after that occurs.”

And while Lyons insisted that MacMillan wasn’t singled out, she says the whole situation made her feel like she was.

“You ask any other coach in that department right now if they’ve ever been put in that situation and every single one of them will tell you they haven’t. At that point in time, at eleven years, when you’re questioned and you’re put into a situation like that, to take personal attacks, it’s not worth it after that,” MacMillan said.

Now that her departure is official, MacMillan’s message is clear: schools need to stop giving in to pressure from players and parents, and let coaches take care of their issues internally.

“I think it needs to stop at the highest level. If they’re continuing to be heard and allowed to have that voice, it’s going to continue and continue to get worse. Parents and student-athletes think that we just make those decisions “willy-nilly” and we don’t think any other extra time about it. They’re wrong. It eats at you for days and weeks and months, and you start to wonder did you make the right decision and I think you go through that. Every coach goes through that,” said MacMillan.

This week, a letter was sent to the CSS administration, which was signed by all 26 members of the women’s hockey team. The players voiced their support for their coach saying: “she was the engine to our boat that allowed us to cut through the big waves of life that came at us. That engine broke and you did nothing to fix it. You just sat there and let it stay
broken. All we are asking is for you to please fix this and never let something like this happen again”.

“I think it means a lot. Its impacted me greatly. You think that you have the respect of your student-athletes, most of them. And you can usually tell by those interactions. But you don’t know to the extent until it’s over. And I just want them to win next year. I want them to do what I know they can do,” said MacMillan.

MacMillan’s former assistant Julianne Vasichek would go on to be named the new head coach of the CSS women’s hockey team.