Olympic champion Hilary Knight says 2026 tournament will be her last
One of the greatest international hockey careers is winding down.
In an interview with USA Today’s Nancy Armour, superstar Hilary Knight announced that the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina will be her last tour of duty in the Olympics.
“It’s time,” Knight said. “I have grown up in this program and it’s just given me so much. I’m at peace. I just have this feeling that it’s time. And I’m grateful that – hopefully, I can stay healthy and everything – I can go out when I’d like to be done. That is such a privilege that only a handful of competitors get.”
The games in Italy will be Knight’s fifth Olympic tournament of her illustrious career, the most among any American. The 36-year-old will tie Hockey Hall of Famers Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, Finland’s Karolina Rantamäki and Emma Terho, and presumably Marie-Philip Poulin as players to have played in five Olympic Games.
Knight confirmed that she will continue to play in the PWHL after the Olympics but recognizes that her playing days are winding down as a whole.
The Boston Fleet captain debuted with Team USA at the 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championship, playing at the Winter Games for the first time in 2010. She has since taken home the silver medal three times, winning her first Olympic gold in the infamous shootout in 2018.
In her first four Olympic appearances, Knight has scored 12 goals and 27 points in 22 games, being named to the All-Tournament Team in 2014.
Along with her Olympic career, the Idaho native’s list of international accolades is immense. She was the first-ever IIHF Female Player of the Year in 2023, winning the gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship 10 times, and is the most decorated player at the Women’s Worlds with 15 total medals.
Knight is the all-time leader in goals (67), assists (53) and points (120) in world championship history, twice being named at the tournament’s best forward.
In the PWHL, Knight finished tied for the league lead in points with New York Sirens rookie Sarah Fillier, posting 29 points this year.
The Americans will enter next year’s tournament in Milan as a sizeable favorite. The tournament will begin on Feb. 5, with the gold medal being handed out on Feb. 19.