Hilary Knight has just finished her 15th IIHF Women’s
World Championship and won her 10th gold medal.
This year she broke the tournament’s all-time assists record after broke the tournament’s all-time assists record after already owning the ones for goals and points. But nonetheless, every championship is important and special in its own way to her.
“Ten is a really big deal; one is a big deal,” she said.
She called this year’s U.S. team “such a
special group” and said, “It’s such an honor to be able to
represent this country on the world stage and to do it along side these
amazing women is just incredible. It’s a wonderful feeling, for
sure.”
After the game, she answered questions from various media outlets.
The margins are
always so thin when Canada and the U.S. play each other. Yes, it was an overtime goal but was there any secret ingredient that got you over the edge?
“Yeah,
just sticking together. The connectivity in the room is incredible
and we know the next person that’s up is capable of fulfilling
whatever job’s asked of her. It’s just such a special group.
That’s why people keep coming back – they want to be in this room
and to do that at a high level is wonderful.”
It’s never a
Canada-U.S. final without some drama. How did you feel when your
starting goaltender had a big collision and had to leave?
“I
didn’t like the hit on Erin. I thought it was unfortunate. I mean,
Erin does so much for us. You’ve seen her steal games for us on the
world stage and at the professional level, so I hope she’s okay.”
And Gwyneth
Philips coming in cold?
“Yeah, Gwen coming
in cold is absolutely doing what is asked of her – turning pucks
aside – it’s pretty incredible. We don’t get where we are
without Gwen.”
Championship, the USA outshot Germany 51-12 and dominated
territorially, but ran into strong goaltending from Sandra Abstreiter
and a disciplined German team and escaped with a closer-than-expected
3-0 victory.
Your thoughts on
Tessa Janecke and the smarts she showed on that
overtime goal?
“Yeah … go to the paint, go to the paint
hard and you’re gonna get rewarded, so we’re really happy and the
group’s really fortunate that she was able to find that white ice
and hit the paint.”
Can you rate the
stick-over-the-glass celebration?
“Probably 10 out
of 10. You know, you just have to keep swinging. You miss one, you
miss two, you miss three … one’s gotta go in. So I’m just proud
of her resolve and tenacity.”
How do you want
to use the momentum from this win going into the next Olympic
cycle?
“I think for us it’s being ready to win and
that’s what this tournament is about – it’s about accepting the
opportunity to win. It’s hard to close out games against a Canadian
squad that’s been here time and time again and proven themselves
year after year. I think this is a good learning championship for us,
and hopefully there are more good things to come.”
How did you enjoy
your time in České Budějovice?
“Yeah, České … I’m
sorry, I can’t say it (laughing). But I texted my Czech
teammates from the Fleet, thanking them before the tournament
officially started because the hospitality, the passion, the love …
this is such a special place and we couldn’t be more honored by the
care that people put into hosting this tournament.”
Is it good that
other countries like Czechia are getting better and better?
“Yeah,
I think they’re doing something right with their development. That
(semifinal) game for us was really tough. They’re competing with
everyone that’s on the stage and that’s great.”
This tournament
broke the World Championship attendance record, which comes after two
seasons of seeing attendance records repeatedly broken in the PWHL.
What is it like playing in front of bigger and bigger crowds
everywhere in the world?
“Yeah, it’s amazing. I think
all of us on the ice, regardless of what country we’re from, know
what our talents are and how great this game is. That visibility was
a missing ingredient for us so, when you see the Czech fans show up
not only for their own team but they’re putting butts in seats for
other games too, it’s super important. I think it’s a watershed
moment for women’s hockey and it’s really exciting to be a part
of.”
