Q&A USA Hockey’s Hilary Knight: IIHF Female Player of the Year and Olympic champion

Hilary Knight, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s first Female Player of the Year, is paving the way for the next generation of female ice hockey players.

Hilary Knight is a legend in women’s ice hockey. She’s a long-standing member of the United States women’s national ice hockey team, and she earned a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championships in April. Knight served as the captain of her team and became the first player in IIHF Women’s World Championship history to reach 100 points. She has won nine gold medals and four silver medals with Team USA at the World Championships, as well as a gold medal and three silver medals at the Olympics.

While Knight paves the way for the next generation of female hockey players, her impact on the sport extends beyond gender. She has achieved many accolades, as her competitiveness and love of the game continue to drive her forward. The 33-year-old elite forward recently spoke with FanSided about the significance of her IIHF Player of the Year award, her standout Olympic experiences, her Red Bull partnership, her role as an NHL analyst, the goals for growing women’s ice hockey, and more.

You were recently named the International Ice Hockey Federation’s first Female Player of the Year. Congratulations. What does this award mean to you?

Hilary Knight: Thank you. It’s awesome for a number of different reasons. I think first to have the inaugural award. It just shows how far the women’s game has come to recognize the best women’s hockey player. The international stage is pretty incredible. So I’m excited about the future of the game. And then, obviously, the individual component. It’s great to collect hardware and win things. I love winning. I hate losing. Super competitive. I mean, I will be competitive over anything, like, we’ll be in the grocery store, you have no idea that you’re in a competition with me with the shopping carts, for example. It’s great to be recognized among all the other amazing candidates. It’s pretty outstanding. So, you know, one that I will definitely remember forever. Just excitement all around.

You served as Team USA’s captain for the 2023 World Championships. What was that experience like and how would you describe your leadership style?

Knight: My leadership style is more of a do-by-example kind of thing. I wouldn’t ask anyone else to do anything that I wouldn’t do. In the same respects, my job or the way I approached the game, or the way I approached the room didn’t change. You know, I’m pretty authentic in that way. And just because I have a letter external facing, I mean, it’s great, because it’s such a huge honor to have that on the sweater, but just business as usual. Just making sure that the right boxes were being checked and the right conversations were being had. We have a really, really great leadership group within our room. It’s so much fun to be able to be a part of that group, and that’s what makes it so special.

Obviously winning, you’re part of a legacy. Then it’s not just you had this awesome team, you had this awesome experience, and then no one will remember you because you lost, right? So I think having the win drought for the last few years really highlighted that for me, because you get older in the sport, you understand how hard it is to win, and you want to have that group remembered. So that’s what this past World’s was sort of about. It’s rare. To go through all that hardship off the ice and then to lose, one, it doesn’t feel good. Two, you question yourself, and you have all the doubters. And then, three, that team’s never again, probably ever going to be mentioned, because they’re not winning. It’s just the harsh reality of sports.

As a four-time Olympian with a gold medal and three silver medals, is there a particular Olympic experience you’ve had that stands out to you above other experiences?

Knight: The first one will always just be special because that’s the pinnacle, right? I think after that, obviously the first one’s special, but you start to cherish it a bit more because you realize that you’re looking around the room, and from the first one, there’s different people in the room now. So you understand how hard it is to get back to that level and to consistently be able to represent your country on a world stage. It’s that dream job and that aspiration. I definitely appreciate it, and I’m really grateful. To be able to impact change through sport is also another thing that fills my bucket. It’s fun to do it with great people, and obviously, your story goes further when you’re winning.

2018 would be a special moment because it’d been 20 years since we won an Olympic gold medal. We had all the success on the World Championship stage, but that was the one that we were missing. To be able to capture that and bring that memory back and share it with all the different people that cheered us on near and far was pretty incredible.

Can you talk about your partnership with Red Bull and how you incorporate Red Bull into your routine and your training regimen?

Knight: They’ve been an awesome partner since 2015, so for a handful of years, and it’s really authentic for me because I drink a lot of Red Bull. When they were interested in signing me up as a partner of theirs, it just made sense. To be able to have a resource that helps me train and juggle all these different things off the ice, as well, whether that’s drinking a can of Red Bull or tapping into the different resources that they provide athletes. It’s a pretty instrumental partnership for me, and not to mention when I first signed up with them, women’s hockey wasn’t necessarily as popular as it is now. I was able to get the messaging out, to put a light on the visibility of the game and put it in front of different people that might not necessarily be accustomed to the sport or necessarily know my story. That was huge. It aligned on many fronts.

You work for ESPN as an NHL analyst. What is it like being on a different side of the game when you’re not on the ice?

Knight: I appreciate the media side more and all the preparation that goes into it. I think that was the hardest thing for me is, you don’t necessarily get to see how people prepare for the on air stuff, you just kind of assume what you need to know. Then when you’re dropped into the mix, it’s like, oh, I did not prepare the way that I needed to. So it’s learning how to prepare for when the camera goes on, and you want to be ready to present the best game and broadcast the best game. What’s exciting, as well, is it’s not that different than training for my sport. I’m preparing in a different way, so that’s exciting. I still get the pregame sort of jitter, excitement, nervousness.

It’s been a lot of fun learning because I think that’s what I love to do. I love to learn hockey, to be the best hockey player I can be, and to be able to communicate with people through a lens and provide a different insight or perspective. That’s what I envisioned myself doing, so it was a great step in the right direction these last two years. It’s definitely a greater appreciation. A lot of staring at computer screens in film. It’s funny, I have Red Bull for my actual athletic stuff, but now I’m drinking it to prepare to do all my game notes and making sure that I have everything prepped for when I have that opportunity.

You’ve been one of the most influential voices in the growth of women’s ice hockey. What do you envision as the future for women’s hockey in North America and across the globe?

Knight: I envision a pro league. I think that’s going to fill in a lot of gaps. I’m really excited about that. People at the elite level need to perform. Women in sports have less touchpoints with fans and less growth opportunities. So being able to put together a product or a landscape that mirrors the things that the sport needs at the elite level is only going to help that young girl that wants to see it and be it. I know it’s overused, but it’s kind of crazy to think of my generation or any generation before me, girls had to watch the NHL, and they had to have this crazy dream that they were going to play in the NHL. Like, that’s wild. So now, the younger generations, they’re going to able to see women in a women’s equivalent league and see them get paid for it.

You’re showing young girls that this is something that’s possible for them.

Knight: Yeah, it’s just such an awesome opportunity. So to solve that gap right now has been on the top of a lot of our minds. That’s one of the reasons why we formed the PWHPA (Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association), and all the fun things that go along with it. It hasn’t been easy, but we understood the importance of it. And, you know, I think we have a really unique opportunity to be more inclusive than than the sport has ever been. Way less barriers. So that’s really exciting as well.

What advice do you have for young female ice hockey players, especially girls who play on boys’ teams like like you did when you were their age?

Knight: You have to surround yourself with great people because you don’t get anywhere by accident. Sometimes you need to lean on people for difficult times or important decisions. I think that’s one thing. And then the second, just be unapologetically yourself. I think, for me, I had so much naivety. It came as a confidence thing because I didn’t understand the gender roles or how I was breaking barriers. I just wanted to come to the rink, play hockey with my friends, and be the best player. And I was not the best player for many years. I couldn’t lift the puck until I was in high school. You know, it’s just crazy to think that I kept showing up to the sport that I love thinking, I’m going to play in the NHL, I’m going to play in the Olympics, and I couldn’t lift the puck. So you’ll get a lot of no’s, but you have to love it and just be yourself. As long as you have the right people in your corner, I’m really confident that a young girl is going to get to where she needs to be.

Speaking of people in your corner, your mom provided a strong foundation for you and encouraged your desire to play hockey as a child when others were maybe doubting your place in the sport. How has your mom’s support continued to inspire you even as an adult?

Knight: I think with COVID and the last Olympics, it shined an even bigger light on how instrumental my family has been in my success. That’s why I say it sort of takes a whole group to get you to where you are with any athlete who is successful. Not having family and friends there, it just felt really wrong. It didn’t feel like an Olympic experience. When you’re there playing hockey and sharing those moments with your teammates, you’re also thinking about your family and maybe having a touchpoint with them in between sessions to sort of alleviate all the pressures of this, like $6 billion industry that’s like, are you going to win a gold medal? You know, it’s crazy that in the most stressful situations, when you get together with your family, it sort of just dissipates all that stress or maybe focuses your thoughts on something else to distract you in a healthy way from all the other pressure that’s built up for the task at hand.

So yeah, seeing my mom, she was just at World’s. It was awesome to see my little brother, to see my family. My mom came from the generation where opportunities for her were extremely limited, and there were a lot of stereotypes that were around in women’s sports specifically. I think she just saw how my brothers were treated, and she’s like, oh, you know, she’s just gonna go out there and play hockey. She was there to support me when I got cut because I was a girl and not a guy, and they wanted to have more guys on the roster because they think everyone’s going to the NHL. So it’s just that dynamic, that she’s always been my strongest supporter. From experience, she understood that she wasn’t able to have the same opportunities. For me to have the opportunities, I don’t necessarily take them lightly. And that’s why I’m so vocal about growth in women’s sports and making sure we’re doing the right things to to sort of combat that coverage issue and the visibility and all the other barriers that go into it.

What originally sparked your interest in hockey?

Knight: It was kind of by accident. I was born in California, and my dad’s work was like do you want to move to the UK, Toronto, or Chicago? He’s like, the UK, and they’re like, perfect, you’re going to Chicago. So I come from a huge ski background. My cousin’s a three-time Olympic skier. That’s the family thing. So to move to the Midwest, where there aren’t mountains, was challenging, I think, for both my parents. My mom was super active with tennis and paddle tennis and stuff.  She met somebody in the community and was like, what do I do with my kids? Like, what do your kids do for sports? Sure enough, it was ice hockey. Within weeks, there’s three of us at that time, so all three of us were in skates, learning how to skate. So that’s kind of how I got into the sport.

It starts with skating, obviously. Then you see all the stuff and the equipment. And you’re like, what’s that? And I’m sure parents are like, oh no. Your checkbook kind of goes out the window. I gotta buy the skates and the shoulder pads and everything else. But all the equipment sort of got me, and it’s just, you know, to be able to check and run into things and hit the boards and skate really fast. You can only run so fast, but you can skate faster than you run. I think feeling that need for speed was probably part of the thing that captivated me, as well.

What are some of your favorite things to do outside of hockey?

Knight: Outside of hockey, I love going home to Idaho. I’m a huge mountain person. I realized this about myself. I really like to hike. I’ve recently gotten into cycling because my girlfriend has to do that for training. So I hopped along with her for a bit. Which, it’s really grueling. They go for three hours. Mountain biking. I really like pickleball because a lot of my friends can play it. They don’t have to play tennis now. So that’s really cool. I just like being outside and playing, whatever that looks like. But being home in Idaho, it’s a really special place for me in Sun Valley. Whenever I can go back and steal some time there, I’m happy to do it.

Do you have a career goal that you have not yet achieved that you’re still striving for?

Knight: That’s kind of a hard question because I feel like in many ways, I’ve done everything in the sport that I could possibly do. I’ve pretty much tackled every accolade. But then at the same time, I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. So it’s this really interesting mix. Every season you sign up, you have to be ready. You have to have grown from the previous season, and it’s a different team. It’s always changing. I think that’s what’s fascinating to me, is it’s sort of like problem-solving. You navigate the twists and turns of a season, and do you put yourself in a successful position to win at the end? It’s this weird game you have to play out every single year with different people. So I think it keeps me hungry. But, you know, I love winning. I would love to win more. Once you’ve won once, you want to win. And if you’re only so lucky to win once, like, that’s great, too.

Where do you see yourself after your playing career is over?

Knight: I really like learning the analyst role. I’ve really enjoyed getting my feet wet doing that and learning just in a different way. I can’t imagine that I would stray far from the sport in any way, whether that’s working for a specific club or staying within the media. I’ll definitely be around the sport and doing that. I also dabble with sort of the VC space and wearable tech. There’s always something to do. I always find something that interests me. I think the one rule I have is I have to love what I’m doing. It’s not worth working for if you don’t love it. And it’s not to minimize. Things are really difficult at times, right? The love for it and learning gets you through those hard times.

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