Hilary Knight, the most decorated female hockey player in American history, plans to make the 2026 Milan Cortina Games her fifth and final Olympics.
“I just think of how fulfilled I feel with my career, especially on the Olympic stage,” she said, noting it took a few months to come to the decision. “Where the team’s at, also, and just conversations of life cycles as well, being able to start that next chapter. Whatever that may look like.
“At first I felt very uncomfortable with the conversation, but now it just feels right, good timing. So a lot of alignment for timing. A lot of success helps, too, along the way.”
Knight, 35, still has to make the Olympic team. The 23-player U.S. Olympic roster is typically named in December or early January.
She plans to continue playing club hockey in the PWHL after the Olympics, and could continue playing with the national team, but not all the way through the next Olympics in 2030.
“I would love to win a Walter Cup (in the PWHL),” she said. “Will it happen, I don’t know, but leaving that door open as well. Potentially, a few more world championships, but we’ll see. So many things just have to go right, especially at training age and stuff to be able to do this, and you kind of have to be selfish with your career, right? So I’ve been able to do that for so long. I’m not necessarily completely done at the international level, but we’re getting pretty close.”
Knight shares the American record for Olympic hockey medals (four — one gold and three silvers) and next year can become the first American hockey player to participate in five Olympics.
Knight also ranks second in U.S. Olympic women’s history in points (27, five behind Jenny Potter) and third in goals (12, two behind Natalie Darwitz and Katie King).
She holds the global records for World Championship gold medals (10), medals (15), goals (67) and points (120).
Knight has been the national team captain since 2023. The U.S. won the world title in April in an overtime final victory over Canada. Knight recorded a team-leading nine points and seven assists at worlds, playing the most minutes of any American forward.
NBC Sports’ Andy Dougherty contributed to this report.
