Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy enjoyed having Hilary Knight at practice yesterday saying she was “the best in the world.”
Yes, that Hilary Knight, the USA Women’s hockey star trained with the Anaheim Ducks. The two time Olympic silver medal-winner became the first female skater to practice with an NHL team. She will play in the Four Nations Cup in British Columbia starting Nov. 4. Knight and the U.S. team will compete against Finland, Sweden, and Canada.
Knight also plays for the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Previously, it is thought that only female goalies had participated in NHL practices and exhibition games prior to Hilary Knight making history today.
And Anaheim is one of the NHL’s powerhouses too. As we chronicled yesterday, they were one of the biggest spenders and most aggressive teams this past offseason. The Ducks will be a big factor in a very loaded Western Conference.
Back to Hilary Knight, here’s some video of her training session with the Ducks.
For more Hilary Knight, including her ESPN Body Issue shoot, go here.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2