CORTINA D’AMPEZZO — Players come, players go and, yet, the result remains the same.
USA women’s hockey has won gold or silver at every world championships since they began in 1990. They’ve won gold or silver at all but one Olympics since women’s hockey made its debut in 1998.
The list of players who’ve worn the U.S. jersey is a who’s who of the game: Cammi Granatto, Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Potter, Julie Chu, Karyn Bye-Dietz, Natalie Darwitz, Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield — you get the idea.
While nothing is said outright, every young player knows that history. And has no interest in being part of the team that screws it up.
‘There is definitely some pressure, of course, because we care and we want to keep that standard alive and be playing great USA hockey,” said Caroline Harvey, who despite still being a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is playing in her second Olympics.
‘But it’s more enjoyable than anything because it’s just so exciting,” Harvey said. ‘You’re playing with the best of the best. Definitely nerves at times, but good nerves, and trying to channel that into good things.”
With Hilary Knight already saying these Olympics, her fifth, are her last and Coyne Schofield and four other players 30 or older, Milano Cortina is something of a changing of the guard for the U.S. women.
Of the 23-person team, 12 are newcomers and four made their Olympic debut in Beijing. Seven are still in college and nine are 23 or younger. Of the 10 Americans who are on the list of scoring leaders through the first five games at the Olympics, seven are under 25.
That includes Harvey, who leads all scorers with nine points.
“It’s fun to see a younger version of yourself in them and kind of remind you where you were when you were their age,” Coyne Schofield said. “But also just taking a step back and realizing how incredible they are. They’re leaders in their own way. They (are) young in age only. They’ve won. They’ve scored big goals. They’ve carried a team on their back. They’ve won national championships. They’ve done it all.
‘Whether it’s the Olympic games or not, they’ve pretty much done it all.”
The arrival of the next generation doesn’t mean there won’t still be room for the veterans in the next Olympic cycle. But there is a danger in sticking with what’s worked and expecting that will continue for another four years. (Cough, Canada, cough.)
By integrating the young Americans into the U.S. team while players like Knight, Coyne Schofield and Alex Carpenter are still around and in their prime, it assures the team of sustained success.
‘When I first was a part of the national team, I was like, ‘Well, this is cool. This is an honor (to be) amongst the best.’ But there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s how you represent yourself and you represent your country, on and off the ice, and how you carry yourself. What you’re doing to better yourself and your teammates,” said Laila Edwards, who is an Olympic rookie but is already poised to be one of the next generation’s big stars.
‘I just made sure to take in something every day, whether that was from my teammates, the captains, the coaches,” Edwards added. “I think that’s what the U.S. is about. We’re never content with where we’re at. We’re always wanting to get better.”
The approach is working.
The Americans beat archrival Canada in overtime last April to win the title at the world championships. Since then, the U.S. has outscored Canada by a whopping 29-7, including a 5-0 thrashing in the preliminary round in Milano Cortina.
The Americans are undefeated going into the semifinals, and their plus-25 goal differential is the best of the four teams left.
“It’s incredible where they’re going to take the sport,” Knight said. “They’re already so good … and this is just scratching the surface of what their capabilities are.”