Redefining WAG: Lauren Kyle McDavid has her own ambitions

The phrase "hockey wife" can still come with built-in assumptions - an unapproachable accessory riding shotgun on someone else's dream. But if you're expecting Lauren Kyle McDavid to fulfill that stereotype, you'll probably be disappointed. The 28-year-old, who married Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in a lavish ceremony last July, has been laying the foundation for her own legacy, steadily building a business empire - with five enterprises now underway and no plans to slow down.

Her latest venture, Bar Trove, is a small bites restaurant in downtown Edmonton that reflects her style - elegant, intentional, and bold. Its opening this weekend coincides with the Oilers' second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance - a chaotic window, unless you've met her. She's unflappable.

"She comes up with an idea and she just gets after it," Connor McDavid said.

But it's not just what Kyle's doing that sets her apart - it's how she does it. Each of her projects - which span from interior design to publishing - showcase what the people around her love most about her personality.

"She's got a big heart. She cares about people. I think that's why she's gotten into the field that she has," McDavid said. "She enjoys creating these experiences for people that she cares about and for others."

Of course, most newlyweds would say that about their partner. But in Kyle's case, you get the sense it's all genuine. When I stopped by Bar Trove to speak with Kyle, I saw it firsthand. Lenard, the McDavids' Bernadoodle, greeted me first. Then came Kyle, skipping the handshake. "I'm a hugger," she said. It's easy to misread that emotional intelligence as a nicety. But in Kyle's world, feeling is at the core of the product - a strength she's purposefully leveraging to grow her business portfolio.

"I always want to make people feel good, especially around important dates in their lives. That where it all comes into play," Kyle said.

Proof of concept

Kyle's instinct to organize and create showed up early. Sharon Kyle recalls her daughter cutting up old dance tights, designing a hanging daybed out of a trampoline, and even renovating the guest bathroom for a school project. "She's always been a big thinker," Sharon said.

Her parents' favorite story is the anniversary party. At the age of 8, Kyle woke up for school and realized it was her parents' 12th wedding anniversary. She secretly coordinated a surprise party by phone with both grandmothers - all before the morning bell. When her parents arrived home, dinner was ready, and the family was gathered.

"We were shocked because she had everybody there," Sharon said. "She had coordinated the whole menu with the grandparents, and she had the decorations up. It was pretty special."

Kyle comes from a family of business owners. Her father is an orthodontist, his father was a dentist, and Kyle's maternal grandfather owned a menswear shop in Sudbury, Ontario, where the family is from. "She grew up with self-employed people as examples and grabbed on to that. She didn't want to work for anyone else," her dad Paul said.

"I've always known I wanted to work for myself," Kyle said. "I always had the mindset that I would be some form of entrepreneur." Her ventures now include Kyle & Co. (interior design), Sports Club Atelier (a fashion line), Trove Living (furniture showroom), a cookbook arriving this fall, and now Bar Trove, designed around her favorite textures, tones, and small details.

"I want people to walk into a space or wear something, and feel something," Kyle said. "That's the throughline."

To that point, Bar Trove is designed to feel both elevated and intimate - with just 40 seats. She even manufactured and designed the light fixtures herself to get the right aura. Then there's her cookbook, which skips traditional categories and is organized by vibe: dinner party, girls' weekend, cottage night - each one built around a tablescape and a feeling. (Bar Trove will feature her spicy lobster pasta, a recipe from the book Kyle created herself).

Her clothing brand began as a response to the lack of stylish fanwear and quickly found a following. "She's got such good style," said PWHL Seattle forward Danielle Serdachny, an Edmonton native who grew up as an Oilers fan. "I would pretty much purchase everything on that website if I could." Kyle's not stopping at designing clothes for Oilers fans; she has plans to roll out a Canadian-branded line before the 2026 Winter Games.

Digging in

Vision is one thing. Kyle's gift is making it come to life. "So many people just don't follow through, and I think that's what separates her," McDavid said. "It's been fun to watch her try something and then follow through and do it."

That plays out daily in Kyle's workplace. "She is always doing a thousand things at once but is so driven," said Liv Hall, who is a close friend and began working with Kyle in 2020. "We'll get everything done because she makes things happen. If she wants something to happen, she'll get on the phone, and it'll be immediate. She doesn't wait around."

Her parents say it's confidence, and she's had it all along. "She's always approached challenges head on and basically dives in the deep end. She has that determined mindset and confidence," Paul said.

Even McDavid admits that Kyle's creativity moves at a pace he can't always keep up with. A few years ago, he gifted her sessions with a business coach for her birthday. "She's a creative type. Her brain works in ways that I don't necessarily understand. Creatives sometimes struggle with the business side of it. I know how hard she works, and I know the time and energy that she puts into it. She got her initial interior design business up and going, and that was amazing. But for her to get it to another level, she needed a little bit of help," he said.

"It was such a thoughtful gift," Kyle said. "Without my business coach, I definitely wouldn't be able to have this many businesses at one time. It helped with my mindset and to grow as an entrepreneur."

Kyle's approach fits into a broader shift in what it means to be a sports partner in the public eye. Where the role once stopped at support and sideline smiles, a new generation is building businesses, brands, and identities of their own. From Taylor Swift's bringing her impact to the NFL to Kristin Juszczyk's fashion designs, these women are no longer simply in the frame - they're calling their own shots. Sometimes, they're the ones who put their partners on the map.

While the public gaze may sometimes cast Kyle as a stylish accessory to a superstar, that framing isn't necessarily how it looks behind the scenes. "I get a front row seat to everything she's building," McDavid said. "It's amazing what she's been able to build, and she's only getting started."

She may be seen as part of a hockey power couple, but Kyle's narrative isn't a subplot. With Bar Trove's opening, Kyle isn't just building a brand but becoming the kind of entrepreneur she once imagined. "For people who actually know me, this is not surprising at all," she said. "It's just a part of my ethos."

Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.