The Winter Olympics have lost a lot of luster over the years, and Beijing 2022 seems to be inspiring more apathy than previous edition of the games, but greatness must be still be recognized. Hilary Knight is a prime example of that, as she provides star power, at an Olympiad that is severely lacking in it.
The forward on the United States women’s national hockey team won a Silver Medal with the U.S. at Vancouver in 2010, another silver in Sochi 2014 and a gold in Pyeongchang 2018. She is, arguably, the greatest current active American female hockey player.
I am so excited to be a part of @RalphLauren’s unveil of the Official Opening Ceremony uniforms, featuring the Official Team USA Opening Ceremony Jacket!
Join me on the road to the Games and learn how #PoloRalphLauren supports Team USA.#RLxTeamUSA #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/qJCOypMrp1— Hilary Knight (@HilaryKnight) January 20, 2022
The Palo Alto, CA native had a goal and an assist in the USA’s 5-0 thrashing of Russia in the Olympic opener. Those two points saw Hilary Knight skate past two American hockey legends. Her 20 career Olympic points are fourth in United States Olympic history, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Cammi Granato.
According to CT Insider, “Only Jenny Potter (32), Natalie Darwitz (25) and Katie King (23) have more. Her 13th assist puts Knight second alone, breaking a tie with Fairfield’s Julie Chu.
Potter leads that list with 21.”
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The Wisconsin Badgers alum has a massive social media following, with 170K followers on Instagram and 91K on Twitter.
Her comments on the U.S.-Canada rivalry were some of the best soundbites of the 2010 Olympics:
“Hatred is pretty good. When we get between the glass and it’s the U.S. versus Canada, it’s everything on the line.”
“It is intense, blood boiling. It is physical.”
As it should be because, “U.S. and A” (as Borat would say) and the Canucks (or America Jr. as Homer Simpson would say) are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. In women’s hockey, it’s us, the Canadians and it’s DON’T CARE.
Hilary Knight also has an appearance in ESPN’s Body Issue on her resume.
“We somehow manage to raise the bar each year,” said ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com editor in chief Chad Millman said at the time.
“This year’s collection of exceptional athletes and stunning photography showcases an array of sports and body types. It inhabits our mission to pay tribute to these athletes’ bodies and all they are capable of.”
Also on the list are professional surfer Coco Ho, boxer Bernard Hopkins (the oldest title winner in the sport’s history), cliff diver Ginger Huber, Olympic hockey player Hilary Knight and WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry
Other athletes who posed for the issue include:
Amy Purdy, a snowboarder who won a bronze medal at the 2014 Paralympics; U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe; Jimmy Spithill, the skipper of the America’s Cup-winning yacht Oracle Team USA; BMX rider Nigel Sylvester; and women’s boxer Danyelle Wolf.
Here’s the Body mag photo of Hilary Knight above. Good luck to her and the rest of the US Women’s Hockey team in China this month.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.