Last year, one of Hilary Knight’s three younger brothers, Remington, joked with her about going to Italy for what would be her fifth Olympics at 36 years old.
She simply laughed it off, saying “Yeah right, Remy. No way.”
The joke came in the months Knight was wrestling with the topic of retirement and whether she wanted to play in one final Olympics in 2026. In the fall of 2024 while on her couch in Boston, the question was brought up to her and she decided to sit on it.
Four months later, the four-time Olympic medalist realized what an honor it would be to go out on her own terms and complete a fifth Olympic Games — the most ever for a U.S. men’s or women’s hockey player.
“As an athlete, I think it’s super rare to be able to go out on your own terms,” Knight told The Post in a phone interview. “I think that is a very empowering and powerful thing and not everyone has the opportunity to do it. At some point there is an expiration date to everything and it just felt aligned and natural that the fifth Games would be that for me.”
Knight still intends to continue in the PWHL as a captain for the expansion Seattle Torrent and aims to compete in the IIHF World Championships in 2027.
And in the midst of a partial retirement, she remains one of the best hockey players in the world.
In April 2025, she recorded nine points in seven games to win a record 10th gold medal at the world championships, in which she holds all three career scoring records — most goals (67), assists (53), and points (120).
In the 2025 Rivalry Series, which includes four games and was introduced in 2018 by USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, Knight scored five goals when the U.S. completed the first-ever tournament sweep.
In the PWHL, she ranks seventh in assists this year (7) and 15th in points (10) with the Torrent in its inaugural season. A year ago, Knight led the league in scoring with 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) across 30 games for Boston.
While not at her peak, Knight is still undeniable as she chases down a fifth medal, which would tie Canadians Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser for an Olympic-record five hockey medals.
“Don’t rule out anything, you know?” Knight said.
Heading into Milan, Knight will experience a full-circle moment.
At just 20, she was the youngest member of the silver medal-winning team in 2010 in Vancouver. In 2026, the Sun Valley, Idaho, native is the oldest member on a young U.S. women’s team.
Four years ago, the big sister role was new for Knight.
“I was like oh my gosh, why did my other teammates have to retire so early?” she said.
However, now, she is embracing it, answering a slew of questions from hockey to what shoes to pack for the Games. If anything is different, Knight said it’s the communication style. She is using Snapchat more than ever before.
“She means so much to each and every one of us. She’s a really great leader,” U.S. goalie Aerin Frankel told The Post. “She always goes out of her way to make relationships with every single person on the team and she obviously etched her name in the history books for so many reasons. I always say about her how great of a person she is and getting to know her has been awesome. I’m really excited to go to the Olympics with her and I know it’s going to be an extra special one for her with it being her last one but I think it’s just so much excitement right now.”
It will be a passing of the torch for the forward in more ways than one.
Knight has been the face of women’s hockey arguably since she was 17 when she joined Team USA after the 2006 Olympic cycle, and has handled a great load of responsibility in growing the game to new audiences as well as pushing for change within the sport.
The two weeks in Milan will be the last of her influence as a player on the world stage, and every moment will have weight to it and Knight already knows that.
“I guess I’ve never really understood anything differently. …” she said. “I grew up through the U.S. national team and so I don’t know life without that really, having that exposure and having the responsibility of being an ambassador for the game and trying to also play but being a part of something bigger than yourself as well. It’s very natural and part of the territory I guess.”
When asked who could be able to carry on the torch for Knight in future Games, she listed off 23-year-old defender Caroline Harvey, 22-year-old defender Laila Edwards, and 23-year-old forward Abbey Murphy. All except Edwards have completed one Olympics.
The young women’s U.S. team will have international eyes on them, and expose fans to different styles of play, systems and leagues, such as the PWHL. In turn, Knight believes that will lead to more women signing up for hockey, the level of support for funding, and overall play and skill of the game will increase.
Her teammates and the growth of women’s hockey have been “reassuring” to Knight as she is about to close her Olympic chapter.
“There are so many young faces that just have it,” Knight said. “I think that’s just what makes us so special when we come together. … I’m really excited for where women’s hockey is in its entirety right now.”
The overarching goal of her fifth Olympics is to simply win and bring home a gold medal, but all of the other festivities and nuances to the Olympic Games that viewers don’t get to see is hard to boil down to what is the most exciting.
At this point, to Knight, all of it, as she said, means “everything.”
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