Hilary Knight, the captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won a gold medal, disclosed during a recent TV appearance that she competed at the Olympics in Milan with a torn medial collateral ligament in her knee. Knight shared in an interview on “CBS Mornings” that she was struggling with the injury and had to miss some games for the Seattle Torrent team in the PWHL.
Despite the injury, Knight managed to play through the pain, describing it as both a mental and physical challenge. She praised the support staff who helped her perform at her best during what she mentioned was her final Olympics at the age of 36. In a crucial moment during the game against Canada, Knight scored to tie the match with just over two minutes left in regulation time.
Upon their return, Knight, along with her teammates Kendall Coye Schofield and Canada’s Erin Ambrose, were placed on long-term injured reserve by their respective PWHL teams. Knight, along with U.S. men’s gold medalists Jack and Quinn Hughes, is scheduled to appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” following a memorable cameo on “Saturday Night Live” alongside Megan Keller, who scored the winning goal for the women’s team.
Jack Hughes also played a pivotal role in securing the gold medal by scoring in overtime against Canada, mirroring Keller’s earlier achievement. This victory marked the first men’s gold medal for the country since the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid. Both Hughes brothers have since resumed playing in the NHL, with the New Jersey Devils granting Jack a day off ahead of their joint appearance with Knight on Fallon’s show, concluding their media tour following their return to North America.