Playtime is over for the U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team. No more exhibition games to prepare for, no more pre-Olympic qualifiers—the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games start Sunday.
The sting of defeat at the 2014 Winter Games has stuck with this group for four long years. The thrill of winning three consecutive World Championships and seven of the past eight cannot heal the wounds from past performances on the global stage.
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The gold medal has eluded the U.S. Women’s program since the inaugural 1998 Nagano Games, winning three silver medals (‘02, ‘10, ‘14) and one bronze (‘06). But this time, they believe it’s different.
“We’re here. We’re on a mission,” American captain Meghan Duggan said in a recent interview with NBC Olympics. “We have a job to get done.”