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Behind Hilary Knight, Love And Compassion, The U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team Wins Gold Medal In Dramatic Fashion PHOTOS BY Getty Images ASK ANY OF HER TEAMMATES a n d t h e s e a r e t h e m o m e n t s H i l a r y Knight was built for. No one was surprised when Knight redirected a shot from Laila Edwards i n t o t h e b a c k o f t h e n e t t o t i e t h e gold-medal game of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at 1-1 against archrival Canada with 2:04 remaining in the game and goaltender Aerin Frankel pulled for the extra attacker. "I can tell you when the game's on the line, you want the puck on her stick," Kendall Coyne Schofield foreshadowed back in September. There are various characteristics and habits that Knight believes a gold-med- al winning team must have. One that she stressed during the U.S. Women's National Team training camp this September was that a locker room must run deep with love. " You have to have the passion and l ove i n t h e r o o m f o r o n e a n ot h e r," Knight said. "Any team that I've been a part of that's been successful, we would have done anything for one another. "If that love for one another is there, and you've got that compete combined with all the skills that we all already have, we can be pretty unstoppable." And why is love so important? Knight explained a little close to 24 hours before the gold medal-game in Milan that there is a moment where a team will be tested and have their backs against the wall. Love, compassion and confidence can go a long way on the bench and over- come doubt, stress and anxiety. "You go into these huge, high-tense environments and you're going to make mistakes, but someone's going to be there to back you up and that's what a team is," Knight said. "So when one another trusts each other in that room, there's a vulnerability, there's a level of trust there. There's also that little edge that it gives you that little extra spark that you know that we're going to get the job done." Knight is that burning spark for the U. S. O l y m p i c Wo m e n 's Ic e Ho c ke y Team, and her teammates love her for all she is on and off the ice. When the game's on the line, you want the puck on her stick." — Kendall Coyne Schofield MARCH 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 17 W A T C H Team USA wins gold medal in EPIC overtime comeback vs. Canada