I am so incredibly astounded and proud of Team USA’s hockey performance at these Winter Olympics. Of course, I’m talking about the women.
Sixteen of Team USA’s players and Twenty-three of Team Canada’s players were from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), the best hockey league around. No, seriously, none of our players have ever been convicted of vehicular manslaughter or faced with sexual assault charges. But seriously, good job to the men for winning gold on the Miracle on ice anniversary, for honoring Johnny Gaudreau and shoutout to the entire Hughes family.
But, besides that, the PWHL and, by extension, the Olympic teams are among the only professional sports teams with players who are moms. Or players who are married to each other.
I mean, Team Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey are the cutest spouses/teammates you’ll ever see. And step aside, Heated Rivalry, because Anna Kjellbin and Ronja Savolainen are not only engaged but played on opposite teams these Winter Olympics.
But I promise I did not write this article to convince you to watch the PWHL. (Though you really should.)
We need to talk about Team USA.
First, Aerin Frankel, Boston’s own Green Monster, is the first woman to record three shutouts in a single Olympic appearance. Her first Olympic appearance, too, mind you. Not to mention she’s the first to ever shutout Team Canada in women’s hockey Olympic history.
Then, we have to address Laila Edwards. She’s the first black woman to represent Team USA in women’s hockey at the Olympic Games. And her assist to Hilary Knight in the last three minutes of the gold medal match helped secure Team USA’s gold medal. Which conicidentlay means Edwards is also the first black woman to win a gold medal in women’s hockey.
Now, there were so many phenomenal players on the ice, but I have to talk about Hilary Knight. She’s the first American hockey player to participate in five Olympic Games. She also has the most career points in U.S. women’s Olympic hockey history. Then, to top it all off, she scored the second goal of the Canada-USA final, securing the most career goals in US women’s Olympic hockey history.
Outscored by Captain Clutch, Team Canada’s captain, Poulin, who has twenty Olympic career goals and holds the title of all-time goal scorer in women’s Olympic hockey history.
These were Knight’s last Olympic Games, but she left with the gold and three records. It’s time for the world to start paying attention to women’s hockey because you won’t want to miss players like these.
“I think the reality is that women’s hockey isn’t going to go silent. It’s not going to go dark,” Kendall Coyne Schofield told AP News a day before the final, You’ll be able to see every one of these players in tomorrow night’s game, a week from now, which is pretty awesome and hasn’t been the case for the existence of women’s hockey and the Olympic Games.”
