It’s been one month since the US Women’s ice hockey team won gold in Milan during the 2026 Winter Olympics, and what a month it has been for team captain Hilary Knight. On the ice, she won her second Olympic gold medal (the first coming in 2018) by putting the team on her back and scoring the game-tying goal to send it to overtime. Off the ice, Knight has been everywhere, from Saturday Night Live to the red carpet at the Oscars, emerging as one of the most recognizable faces of Team USA’s surge into the spotlight.
Before her historic Olympic tournament, I spoke to her about what she had left to prove on the international stage and her expectations heading into Milan. Last week, I caught up with her again, this time to chat about what it feels like on this side of gold and being part of America’s Team.
Inside the moment that changed everything
With just over five minutes left in regulation, Knight was doing the math. She turned to Kendall Coyne Schofield on the bench and started counting backwards. If this happens, they can do this in response. If that happens, we can do that next.
“It was just kind of this revolving door of positivity," she says. "So much chatter on the bench is that way."
They were able to land a power break with three minutes left on the clock (Team USA calls TV timeouts power breaks because it sounds cooler, and who wouldn’t get amped up for a power break?) The rest, we know, is history.
“It’s go time, we’re gonna get this done," she says. "And so, sure enough, face-off, boom. Puck possession, boom. Gets back up to the D, and I'm like, I need to find some quiet ice. And, yeah, tie the game.”
Listening to her talk about it, like it’s another day at the office, is something really special. Because it was just another day at the office, but the office is the biggest stage in the world. And her opponents are in the dressing room right across the hall heading into overtime.
“I get in the (locker) room, and I'm just like ‘We got this. That was their best. This is our time now. Who's gonna be the hero?’ kind of thing. And Meg was, and it's awesome. Regardless of who it was, we're golden, and what a great feeling. And then to throw all your gloves up and have that success at the end of the journey is just so special.”
This gold medal has defined an era of hockey, but Knight takes care to not let it define her career. Through her partnership with Hershey’s, she is able to look at the impacts of her success and answer the eternal question of what comes next.
“Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to win. You get to share that gold medal with everyone. You get to go into communities, you get to do so many fun things, but if you don't celebrate the journey along the way, you really miss out on what that end result means.
To be able to find happiness through the journey, celebrate those smaller, quieter moments away from those gold medal performances, while also celebrating the gold medal performances. It sort of just encapsulates everything, and that's what it's really all about. Because if you don't love the journey, if you don't find your happy places along that journey, you’re missing out on the real gold.”
For Knight, the people are the best part of the journey. Her family, her teammates and the fans make the gold medal moments worth it.