CRANBERRY, Pa. -- P.O Joseph said that he had "mixed feelings" about the Canucks hiring Emilie Castonguay as assistant general manager.
On one hand, he was excited for Castonguay to land the job, becoming the first woman assistant general manager in Canucks franchise history.
But at the same time, he said it's been tough to lose her as his agent, having worked with her in some capacity for the last decade-plus.
"It's been hard," Joseph said after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's practice at the Lemieux Complex on Thursday.. "We were really, really close. She was my agent but she was also more of a big sister for me. It's been awhile that I've had her at my side."
Castonguay, 38, was named assistant general manager of the Canucks by Jim Rutherford on Monday. Rutherford called Castonguay a "key member" of Vancouver's leadership team, and said that she "will play a lead role in player contracts and negotiation, managing the collective bargaining agreement, and her voice will be heard in all aspects of hockey operations."
"Emilie has extensive experience, is driven to succeed and has a strong reputation in hockey for her intelligence and work ethic," Rutherford said in a team release.
Castonguay became the first woman to be a certified agent by the NHLPA when she did so in 2016, and she became the main agent of both P.O and his brother Mathieu in January 2021, following the death of their previous agent Christian Daigle. At the time Castonguay was hired by the Canucks, her clients also included the top women's player in the world in Marie-Philip Poulin, the Rangers' 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, the Coyotes' Antoine Roussel, Canadiens' Cedric Paquette, among others.
Joseph said that he expected Castonguay to eventually move up through the ranks and eventually earn a general manager position, and said he "couldn't be happier" to see her earn the role with the Canucks.
Couldn’t be more happy for you! You are very special and Vancouver are really lucky to have you. I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me as an agent but even more as a friend🖤 best of luck @emcastonguay007 https://t.co/LgOMOFkPPS
— P.O Joseph (@POJoseph15) January 25, 2022
Vancouver got a good one. Congratulations to my former agent on this great opportunity! Wish you the best of luck on this new chapter of your life @emcastonguay007. Great professional and even better person. You’ll be missed ❤️ https://t.co/UNNMvSUM2V
— Mathieu Joseph (@MathJoseph7) January 24, 2022
Castonguay played hockey at Niagara University, and interned with then-Canadiens general manager Paul Gauthier after graduating. After her internship ended, she went to the University of Montreal and earned a law degree.
"She's such a smart human," Joseph said. "I mean, she's a lawyer, she's this and that, she's just has a big hockey brain as well."
Joseph said what set Castonguay apart, though, was just the "human interaction."
"That was her talent, from my eyes," he said.
Castonguay, in her introductory press conference with the Canucks, said that leaving those players as their agent was the difficult part of moving on to her new role with the Canucks.
"It was an extremely hard week for me with tough conversations," she said. "The families, the players — they mean so much to me and they always will."
Castonguay is just the second woman to be named assistant general manager in NHL history, following Angela Gorgone, who was assistant general manager of the Mighty Ducks during the 1996-97 season.
Joseph isn't surprised to see Castonguay become the second on that list, and he expects her to continue to go on to do big things in her career.
"She's never been afraid to break barriers," he said. "It's just another thing that she can add to her CV. She's amazing. She loves to learn, she loves to make people around her better. The Canucks are really lucky to have her."