Hilary Knight’s hockey achievements go beyond gold medals and titles

If Hilary Knight is the GOAT of women’s ice hockey, then Caroline Harvey is the kid.

It’s not just a reference to her age, 23, which makes her the seventh-youngest player on the U.S. Olympic team. The term is also used for kids. And with Knight, the oldest player on Team USA, expected to retire from Olympic competition after the Milan Cortina Games, that makes Harvey the GOAT in waiting.

“Hilary is a great role model,” Harvey said. “She blazed this trail. It’s exciting to see what she did, the legacy she left.”

Like the 10 gold medals at the world championships, most won by a hockey player of either gender; the five upcoming Olympic appearances, the most for an American hockey player; scoring titles and MVP awards. But the real legacy she leaves will have little to do with all that.

In 2019, when she was at the peak of her career, Knight risked everything when she joined more than 200 other players in boycotting existing women’s hockey leagues to form the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Assn. Four years later, this led to the creation of the well-funded Professional Women’s Hockey League, with eight teams playing in the United States and Canada.

Knight said she took inspiration for this campaign from the 1999 World Cup women’s soccer team of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain, which not only won the title but soon after began a decades-long struggle with the U.S. Soccer Federation that ultimately ended with the same pay and benefits as the men’s team.

“We thank the 99s for kind of helping us realize our vision and create a more equitable space,” she said. “We’re a long way from that, but we’re making big steps in that direction.”

In fact, women’s hockey has never been better, a popularity Knight and Harvey hope to build on in the Olympic tournament, which begins Thursday with the United States facing the Czech Republic.

“Visibility is really important; continuing to have those eyes,” said Knight, a tireless promoter of the game. “We’re going to have a new and unique audience. With the Olympics itself [viewers] might accidentally watch hockey and say, “I love this sport.”

“Just having more programming elevates the game to the world stage. And that’s really exciting.”

American forward Hilary Knight joins the bench after scoring against Canada in November 2023.

(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)

The game Knight, 36, is championing is really one she built, particularly in the United States. A two-time NCAA champion at Wisconsin, she will aim for her fifth Olympic medal – and second gold – in Milan. Yet she insists that experience never gets old.

“Every Olympics is like my first Olympics,” she said. “Everyone is so unique. You’re in a different country, a different culture, it’s so fun to be able to explore. The Olympics are so special, whether it’s your first or your fifth.”

These Games will likely be a little different, though, as they end with the baton being passed to Harvey, who followed Knight to Wisconsin. The two women, however, have much more in common than their alma mater.

Both were the youngest players on the team when they made their Olympic debut, Knight as a capable forward in 2010 and Harvey as a physical, attacking defender in 2022. Both have won multiple world championships and both began their careers playing on men’s teams. As children, they both told loved ones that they would one day compete in the Olympics – a particularly bold prediction for Knight since women’s hockey wasn’t even an Olympic sport at the time.

When Harvey joined the national team ahead of the 2021 World Championships, Knight shared some advice.

“She said something like ‘it’s the same game no matter what level you are.’ Trust your instincts, play naturally, play freely,’” Harvey said. “That really had an impact on me.

U.S. defender Caroline Harvey shoots during a Rivalry Series game against Canada in November.

(Jason Miller/Getty Images)

“I hope that at some point [I] growing into this leadership role,” she continued. “I’ve had a few years now and after the Olympics it was more of a sponge. I always try to learn something new every day from veterans.

One thing she’s learned recently is how to beat Canada, which could come in handy in Milan as the U.S. faces its northern neighbors in the group’s final match, and likely a second time in the round of 16.

Canada has won five of the last six women’s Olympic tournaments, beating the United States in four of those finals, including the most recent in 2022. But the United States swept Canada in the pre-Olympic rivalry series, winning all four games by a total of 24-7. Knight and Abbey Murphy led the tournament with five goals each.

“When the puck drops, your heart is racing,” Knight said of the Canada game. “You’re like, ‘Am I human? This is crazy. This is awesome.'”

Yet when Knight finally hangs up her skates for the last time, those won’t necessarily be the memories she holds closest to her Olympic career.

“I do cool things with cool people every day,” she said. “What I’ve been able to accomplish in my career is incredible. And I’ve obviously played with some amazing women and I’m very grateful for every opportunity I’ve had.

“I’m just at a place where I want to embrace those memories and those unforgettable moments with my teammates and my friends and my family, all these people who are embarking on this journey. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

After that, the GOAT will give way to the kid.