Hilary Knight’s story, at the Olympics and beyond, has a lot left to be written – The Athletic

Hilary Knight wrote a book when she was in elementary school, and more than just the words, she also provided the illustrations. It was about a little girl with a special secret and a dream of making it to the top of her sport, and the title was written in pencil crayon: The Magical Hockey Stick.

Knight was a little girl obsessed with hockey but from a family better versed in skiing. She started in a bicycle helmet and ski gloves. As she got faster and stronger, she would keep her hair cut short, hoping to blend in on the ice, reducing the bullying from parents and boys jealous she had taken their spot.

As the book title suggests, the little girl had help on her journey. She made it to the big game in the end, thanks in part to her magic hockey stick. (Knights mother, Cynthia, pulled the book out of storage to show a local television crew a few years ago: A 5-1 final score was prominent on the cover.)

I think my pictures, although theyre not great, Hilary Knight said with a laugh, were probably better than the words.

She has spent the intervening decades backing those words up with action on the world stage, emerging as a driving force for her sport both on and off the ice. She is about to make her fourth appearance at an Olympic Games, where the United States will attempt to defend the gold medal it won four years ago.

When she returns to the U.S., Knight will work as an NHL analyst for ESPN, keeping her on a path that colleagues and former rivals believe will help the 32-year-old drive the very future of womens hockey.

Honestly? I think Hilary could do whatever she wants, said Canadian Olympic hero Jayna Hefford.

Visit link:

Hilary Knight's story, at the Olympics and beyond, has a lot left to be written - The Athletic