Hilary
Knight
United States
·
Ice Hockey
Date of birth | 12 July 1989 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Woodside, California |
Age | 36 |
Nationality | United States |
Career start | 2006 |
Disciplines | Ice Hockey |
Hilary Knight first stepped onto the ice at the age of five, when her family relocated from California to Chicago. When there were no girls’ teams, she played with the boys. By high school, she was a standout star and had her pick of colleges. Hilary chose the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she earned First Team All-American honours and Player of the Year in her sophomore year – and helped her team capture two National Championship titles.
Drafted fourth in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) by the Boston Blades, Hilary excelled in her rookie season as she become the first American-born player to win the MVP award. Three years later she joined the National Women’s Hockey League to play for Boston Pride and enjoyed plenty of success before returning to the CWHL to play for Les Canadiennes de Montreal.
Hilary then played an instrumental role in the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and sits on the board of directors.
In addition to her success at club level, Hilary has enjoyed an enviable career on the international stage. In 2010 she took a year off from college to train for the 2010 Games in Vancouver and helped Team USA win a silver medal. She's since gone on to compete in the Winter Games on a further three occasions, claiming silver in Sochi in 2014, gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and another silver in Beijing in 2022.
She's also represented her country at the IIHF World Women's Championships on 13 occasions, helping Team USA win gold eight times, most recently in Canada in 2023 when Hilary was also named IIHF Female Player of the Year.
When Hilary's not dominating the ice rink, she enjoys going to the movies, white water rafting, biking, skiing and paddleboarding.