Sports Illustrated - USA (2022-02)

BY KRISTEN NELSON

during a heated Badgers-Gophers game. “She understands

how to play the physical and mental side of hockey.” At

the same time, teammates love her ultrachill nature away

from the rink, perhaps best illustrated by her offseason

passion for playing golf while barefoot. “She’s got that

great infectious personality,” Knight says. “Makes you

laugh, doesn’t take herself too seriously.”

Roque is quick to pokecheck the hype that followed

Knight’s blessing. “I told Hilary, ‘You’re jumping the

gun here. Relax,’ ” she says. “I think it’s a lot of pressure,

especially when you haven’t had much experience.” Indeed,

she has logged just six senior international tournament

games, all at the twice-rescheduled worlds in Calgary last

August, when the U.S. finished second. Since then her

national team training has been hampered by injuries:

Upon returning from surgery to repair torn right ankle

ligaments suffered in an October 2021 exhibition against

Canada, she promptly broke a finger during practice.

Regardless of her performance, though, Roque under-

stands that she’ll stand out for reasons that have little to

do with hockey: Out of Team USA’s 13 forwards, seven

defenders and three goalies bound for Beijing, she is the

lone nonwhite player. So she preaches her message of inclu-

sivity whenever possible, such as in a recent video campaign

for Bauer in which she details her family’s story, including

how her dad used to hide his Indigenous background out

of fear of discrimination in Canada, where he grew up.

But she is also making a difference just by represent-

ing her people on her sport’s biggest stage. People like

the roughly 110 residents of the Wahnapitae First Nation

reserve, where her uncle Larry Roque serves as tribal

chief. “We have some girls out here who play hockey, and

they always want me to let them know when she’s ever on

TV,” he says. “They’re proud of her.” And one day soon,

Abby Roque hopes, they will follow her.

KENDALL COYNE

SCHOFIELD

29 ye ars old › Left Wing

The USWNT captain and

Chicago Blackhawks

player development

coach scored twice

at both the Sochi and

PyeongChang Games.

BRIANNA DECKER

30 ye ars old › Center

Known for her

physicality and skillful

stickhandling, the two-

time Olympian had two

goals and four assists in

2014 and led the team

with three assists in ’18.

HILARY KNIGHT

32 ye ars old › Right Wing

Just the fourth U.S. woman

to compete in four Games,

Knight—the all-time

leading scorer and U.S.

points leader at the world

championships—already

has three Olympic medals.

THESE RETURNING

U.S. OLYMPIANS

KNOW WHAT IT

TAKES TO REACH

THE PODIUM

POWER

PLAYERS

DA

VID

E.
KL

UT
HO
(^3

)

BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS