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Hilary Knight lives for moments like this.
“It’s special to represent your country,” Knight said after practice with the U.S. women’s national ice hockey team.
The 34-year-old forward has one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport. She has competed in the Olympics four times, winning one gold medal and three silver medals, and she has also competed in countless world championships.
“Whenever my number is called, I just go out there and do everything I can to put the puck in the back of the net,” Knight said.
Returning for his 14th IIHF World Championship, Knight is still hungry for more challenges. She is Team USA’s captain for the second year in a row.
“It’s kind of a core cultural item for us that everyone, whether they’re wearing a patch or not, is doing everything they can to lead this team and lead it in the right direction.” she said.
It’s that kind of focus that Knight and the U.S. are bringing to Utica as they defend their gold medal this month. And they understand that they have to earn it all again.
“Every time you go into a tournament, your game score is zero-zero and you have to push yourself throughout the tournament and make sure you set yourself up for a great position at the end of the tournament,” Knight said.
Most of the 25 players on this roster are in the middle of their first season in the Women’s Professional Hockey League and are coming into the tournament very sharp. Knight has spent the last few months in Boston, recording four goals and three assists in 19 games.
“It’s a great opportunity to be able to skate at this pace and just the decision-making has become a lot faster,” she said. “It’s much more fun.”
With the world championships back on American soil, Knight said this is a pivotal moment for them to capitalize on all of their recent success.
“Hockey is a game where it’s all about minimizing risk and maybe figuring it out on the fly. If you’re in a successful position at the end of the tournament, you’ve done really well,” Knight said. Ta.
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