When the moment is biggest, Hilary Knight delivers. It's what she does.
Her game-tying goal against Canada in the Olympic gold medal game - you know, the one with 2:04 left and the goalie pulled - didn't just force overtime. It also made her the all-time leading goal scorer among American women at the Olympics with 15 goals, breaking a tie with Natalie Darwitz and Katie King.
Let that sink in for a second. Fifteen Olympic goals. Five Olympic medals. Goals in three consecutive gold medal games. That's not just excellence - that's legendary.
Knight has been the heart and soul of USA women's hockey for over a decade. When the team needs a goal, they look to 21. When they need leadership, they look to Knight. When they need someone to step up in the biggest moments, she's always there.
And this goal? This might be the most Hilary Knight goal ever. Down 1-0. Two minutes left. Olympic gold on the line. Goalie pulled. The pressure couldn't be higher. And she buries it.
"I've been playing in these games my whole career," Knight said after breaking the record. "Every time I step on the ice for Team USA, I know what's at stake. The history. The pressure. The expectations. And I wouldn't want it any other way."
The record is impressive, but what really stands out is when she scores. Knight doesn't pad stats against weaker opponents. She scores in gold medal games. She scores when her team needs it most. She's got that clutch gene that separates good players from all-time greats.
This was her fifth Olympic medal - gold in 2018, silver in 2014 and 2022, and now gold again in 2026. Add in a bronze from 2010 and you've got one of the most decorated careers in Olympic history.
But Knight isn't done yet. At 36 years old, she's still playing at an elite level. Still scoring goals. Still leading by example. Still proving that experience and skill can overcome youth and speed.
The next generation of USA women's hockey - players like Caroline Harvey and Hannah Bilka - they're learning from the best. They're watching Knight score in gold medal games and thinking, "That's what I want to be."
Hilary Knight is the all-time leading goal scorer for USA women at the Olympics. She's a five-time medalist. She's a clutch performer. And she's one of the greatest hockey players - male or female - that this country has ever produced.
That's what sports is all about, folks. Rising to the moment when the stakes are highest.
