Hilary Knight, womens hockey great, looks to leave record fifth Olympic Games with gold
Last year, one of Hilary Knight’s three younger brothers, Remington, joked with her about going to Italy for what would be her fifth Olympics at 36 years old.She simply laughed it off, saying “Yeah right, Remy.No way.”The joke came in the months Knight was wrestling with the topic of retirement and whether she wanted to play in one final Olympics in 2026.
In the fall of 2024 while on her couch in Boston, the question was brought up to her and she decided to sit on it.Four months later, the four-time Olympic medalist realized what an honor it would be to go out on her own terms and complete a fifth Olympic Games — the most ever for a U.S.men’s or women’s hockey player.“As an athlete, I think it’s super rare to be able to go out on your own terms,” Knight told The Post in a phone interview.
“I think that is a very empowering and powerful thing and not everyone has the opportunity to do it.At some point there is an expiration date to everything and it just felt aligned and natural that the fifth Games would be that for me.”Knight still intends to continue in the PWHL as a captain for the expansion Seattle Torrent and aims to compete in the IIHF World Championships in 2027.And in the midst of a partial retirement, she remains one of the best hockey players in the world.In April 2025, she recorded nine points in seven games to win a record 10th gold medal at the world championships, in which she holds all three career scoring records — most goals (67), assists (53), and points (120).In the 2025 Rivalry Series, which includes four games and was introduced in 2018 by USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, Knight scored five goals when the U.S.
completed the first-ever tournament sweep.In the PWHL, she ranks seventh in assists this year (7) and 15th in points (10) with the Torrent in its inaugural season.A year ago, Knight led the league in scoring with 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) across 30 games for Boston.While not at her peak, Knight is still unde...