As if there was any doubt, Hilary Knight has officially been named the captain of the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team that will compete for gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Knight, who will be competing in her fifth Olympics, has served as captain for the U.S. since the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
‘Whenever we sign up to play for Team USA, it’s to win a gold medal, and that mindset hasn’t changed,’ Knight, considered one of the greatest players ever in the women’s game, said at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic media summit in October.
Knight had five goals to lead the U.S. to a four-game sweep of archrival Canada last fall. Although Canada is the defending Olympic champion in women’s hockey, Team USA will be the favorite in Italy after winning two of the last three world championships and outscoring Canada 24-7 in the Rivalry Series.
Along with Knight as captain, USA Hockey also announced on Monday, Feb. 2 that forward Alex Carpenter and defender Megan Keller will serve as alternate captains. Both will be competing in their third Olympics.
The Americans play their Olympic opener on Thursday, Feb. 5 against Czechia at Milano Rho Hockey Arena.