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28 // OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM "That was a pretty significant moment because of all of the years, my family, includ- ing Cammi, were watching me," said Granato, who will join his sister in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020. "It was the first time for me to be a spectator, and be on the outside cheering for my sister winning what was the first ever women's gold medal was a special moment for me and my entire family." Back home in living rooms all around the United States, playing the game was suddenly opened up to a new generation of young girls who never knew hockey was a possibility. Just as the "Miracle on Ice" inspired what would later come to be known as the "great- est generation" of NHL players, Granato and her teammates opened the door for females of all ages to find a league of their own. "We really did something historical," recalled Jenny Potter, who would go on to skate in four Olympics and will become the seventh woman enshrined in Eveleth, Minn. "And from that moment in time, we built the foundation to the future of girls' hockey and to inspire them to be great and inspire them to know that there's opportunities out there and you should reach for them." Among them was Kendall Coyne Schofield, who first met Cammi Granato at a girls' hockey camp in their home state. Just as she was motivated by watching her fellow Illinois native receive her g old medal in 1998, the Palos Heights, Ill., native has done the same for the next generation after she and her teammates would return to the top of the Olympic podium 20 years later in PyeongChang, South Korea. " You need to see it to be it," is a mantra Coyne Schofield has repeated many times as she contin- ues to kick down new doors for aspiring young hockey players. One of her many accom- plishments came not long a f t e r w i n n i n g O l y m p i c gold as she went stride- for-stride with the best in the world in the fast- est skating competition during the NHL All- Star f e st i v i t i e s i n S a n Jo s e , Calif. That one trip around the SAP Center ice in a blazing 14.346 seconds would raise more than a few eyebrows. "Obviously, I was a little nervous, but I knew it was a moment that was g oing to break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game and show support to our game," she would say afterward. And she wasn't done there. Coyne Schofield would also break down more barriers when she joined fellow U.S. Olympian AJ Mleczko and Kate Scott as the first-ever all-female broadcasting team in NHL history. Just as Granato inspired her more than 20 years ago, Coyne Schofield takes her status as a role model very seriously. Having checked off the vast majority of boxes on her own personal goals list, she is motivated by what the future could be for the next generation of women's hockey. "A s s o m e o n e n e a r i n g t h e e n d o f m y career, that's my purpose,' said the two-time Olympian who shows no signs of slowing down before the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. "My goal is to open doors and create oppor- tunities for the next generation. I've already accomplished my childhood dream of win- ning a gold medal, and that doesn't mean I don't want to win another one, but it's more impactful and more meaningful to create opportunities, to use my voice to leave this game better than when I entered it." The next chapter in the history of open- ing up the game is to welcome more young boys and girls from diverse backgrounds. Historically there have been pockets of diversity hockey programs, in places such as Detroit, New York City 's Harlem neigh- PHOTOS BY USA Hockey Magazine Archives "There's room there for coaches, managers, linesmen, referees. Just set your goal and work towards it." —Willie O'Ree's message to young players around the country