Laila Edwards sparks U.S. women’s hockey to Olympic win over Czechia

MILAN — Laila Edwards finally stepped out of the shadows and onto the ice for the U.S. women’s hockey team on Thursday. It was a simple act, but one that made history.

Yet for Edwards, it was just another day at the office.

“It didn’t seem different at all,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s still hockey. Even though it’s the highest level, it’s still hockey.”

With her first appearance in Thursday’s 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic on the first day of hockey at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, Edwards became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. national team in an Olympic tournament. For a team filled with records, it was a milestone, which became a storyline for the top-ranked team in the world.

“Cameras constantly in her face. She does a good job at everything she has to do,” said teammate Tessa Janecke, who had two assists in the second half. “It’s very inspiring for us as teammates, but also for the next generation.”

And that, of course, is the point.

“Representation matters,” Edwards said. “There have been a lot of young children or parents of young children who have contacted me or said to me, ‘You know, my daughter is playing sports because of you. And she feels seen and represented,’ and that’s really motivating.”

At just 22 years old, Edwards is already used to breaking barriers and being the youngest of this or the first of that.

In 2023, she became the first black player on the senior women’s national team in all competitions; a year later, at age 20, she became the youngest player to win the World Championship MVP title.

But while it was easy, talking about it took work.

“I could not do interviews or not talk about it, but then the story doesn’t get out there,” she said. “And maybe a little girl doesn’t see me, who looks like her. So I think that’s what’s most important.

On Thursday, in front of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a packed house at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Edwards marked her Olympic debut by helping the Americans stay ahead, feeding Megan Keller the lead in the high slot for a slap shot that Alex Carpenter redirected on a first-period power-play goal.

Second-period goals by Joy Dunne and Hayley Scamurra — both on assists from Janecke — and third-period goals by Scamurra and Hilary Knight, sandwiched around one by Czech Barbora Jurickova, contributed to the final score of a match in which the top-ranked Americans dominated the fourth-place Czechs 42-14.

Yet the night belonged to Edwards, a player Knight calls “the future of the sport.” But she’s doing pretty well right now, having already won two national championships with Wisconsin and two world championship medals with Team USA.

Edwards began skating shortly after learning to walk, then switched to hockey before starting kindergarten, when her father Robert, who played the game when she was a child, enrolled her and her three siblings in a youth hockey program. By age 8, she was so advanced that she was playing on boys’ teams, and for high school, she left her hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to join the elite girls’ hockey program at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York.

Although she was a high-level forward in high school and college — she led the nation with 35 goals as a junior at Wisconsin — she proved versatile enough to play on the blue line in the Olympics. It’s a bit like playing a running back at right guard.

“I couldn’t even imagine it,” forward Abbey Murphy said of Edwards, who played a team-high 25 appearances Thursday. “She took it and she kind of ate it and she made the defenseman look easy. She’s magic on the blue line.”

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds — making her the tallest and most physical player on Team USA — Edwards was well-suited for the move.

“She’s so dynamic, so athletic, you could put her in goal and she would perform,” said Caroline Harvey, a teammate in high school, college and now with the national team. “She’s adapted so well. It’s fluid. It doesn’t even look like she’s changed positions.”

Edwards didn’t make her journey to the Olympics alone, however, a fact she acknowledged after Thursday’s match. Although her father was responsible for her hockey debut, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to make it to Milan to watch his daughter make history. So Edwards’ parents launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for flights and accommodation.

Jason and Travis Kelce, brothers and former Super Bowl players who also grew up in Cleveland Heights, caught wind of the campaign and quickly chipped in $10,000, allowing 14 members of Edwards’ family to come to Italy — where their cheers were audible every time his name was announced.

“They’re showing their support,” Edwards said. “And they’re really cool guys.”

After her Olympic debut Thursday, a lot of little girls can say the same about Edwards.