I'm a 'blue sky thinker' and dream big.
Hilary Knight
I think the biggest thing is people forget that we're these crazy athletes with these athlete bodies and stuff, but it's just important to feed the other side of it, and if there's a piece of cake there, have the piece of cake. You earned it. You only live once.
Being surrounded by great women and amazing role models and good teammates allowed me to unfold and evolve into the person that I am today.
When our world is telling girls and women who they should be or what they should look like, it is critical that we empower those girls and young women to be confident with who they are.
I love going to the movies, whitewater rafting in the summer when I am home in Idaho, biking in the summer in Idaho, paddle boarding in the summer.
Whatever I do, I want to impact people's lives in a positive way.
I saw the older kids entering the rink carrying hockey sticks and bags, and I was fascinated by the equipment. Once I started skating faster, I was attracted to the speed and dynamics of hockey. I never looked back!
Growing up, and the way that the media portrays, you're supposed to look a certain way. Muscles aren't beautiful. Muscles aren't feminine.
I love cheeseburgers; I love fries, cheese curds, the list goes on.
It was tough to get to where I am, to get the following that I do have on social media and all the fans out there, which I greatly appreciate, but I would love to have a template so the next girl who grows up doesn't have to go through a lot of the hardships that we faced in our generation.
I absolutely love music. Music is so powerful and can set the tone and change your mood.
Girls are breaking barriers and boundaries every day in everything from sports and science to business and the creative arts.
The most valuable advice I can give is plan for your success. Write down your ideal goal, creating checkpoints for yourself along the way that align with the end goal. Set up rewards for achieving both little victories and big ones.
'Playing like a girl' was used as a demeaning term instead of an empowering one. I am proud to be a girl and rocking the ice.
I don't think any game means less than the other ones. You always want to win.
At first, I felt like I was put into this box because I played hockey. I thought that I was viewed a certain way, and I shouldn't wear certain clothes. Finally, I stepped aside and said, 'That's someone else's creation of me. I can be feminine and be strong.'
I have to eat a lot more in the summer because I'm burning more calories.
My mantra is, 'Dare to be...' I leave it open-ended, because depending on the mood, the weather, the day, you might need a different power word. Having a power word can help steer you in the right direction, especially when things aren't going your way.
When I was 5 years old, I told my grandmother I was going to play hockey in the Olympics. Fifteen years later, I competed in my first Olympics.
Cheat meals? I love cheat meals.
I think you are a product of the environment you surround yourself in, and everything you've experienced is a part of you and the fabric you are in.
The song 'I Feel the Earth Move' brings me back to those younger years when I was taking my first strides on the ice.
I absolutely have loved my career path and everything that I've done personally, but it was tough.
As long as I still love the game and I can contribute to a team, I'd love to keep playing.
I would like to go back to school, potentially.
Scoring two goals to win a game will hurt an opponent more than a punch in the face.
I went to a lot of Chicago Wolves games when I was growing up... They would come out of the tunnel, the pyramid would be there, and the fire would come out of the pyramid. I thought it was the coolest thing.
I know there are sort of misnomers that women's hockey isn't as physical or fast as the guys, but women's hockey is very dynamic and tactful in its own ways. It's just as respectable of a sport as any male counterpart.
I hope one day I will be able to play in a game in the NHL, not just practice.
The songs that are on my playlist find themselves there because I can identify with the lyrics, or they have some magical transformative power in the beat.
It was somewhere in Ohio - Cedar Point or something like that - one of those thrill rides. A few cars up, someone's sunglasses had fallen off, and we were on one of those corkscrew parts, and I saw sunglasses and just instinctively grabbed them right out of the air. I was like, 'Oh, my reaction time is really good. This is going well.'
I'm trying to change up the pace in which I approach life so I'm not always go, go, go.
Whenever you step on the ice, you need to be a student of the game and try to hone your craft. You're never going to play a perfect match, but you're always chasing that perfect game.
I try to get a well-balanced diet with a mix of greens, protein, and carbs.
Both of my parents have loved and supported me from my very first strides.
Whenever you get Brianna Decker on the ice, and Emily Field and Amanda Pelkey, people are just going to go fast and push the pace.
I think, as an athlete, you tend to be cautious of your body language and what you're doing on the ice. That might be the only moment someone sees you.
Going into a locker room that's not even yours to begin with is certainly like you're entering the lion's den.
It's a great culture to be a part of: there are hockey players all over the world. It has taken me to an education, getting an education at Wisconsin. I've been able to travel the world.
Now I can give back and be a role model and an advocate for women in sport.
Whenever you go into a game, you want to win, and you want to come out victorious in any way.
I think my role on a team is I love to put the puck in the back of the net. If that opportunity presents itself, and it happens for me, I get really excited.
I think having a strong female figure in my mom as an in-house role model was huge and really motivated me to continue to pursue my passion and my dreams.
Obviously, different people identify me as the face of women's hockey and whatnot, but like my teammates, I'm just there to perform and compete.
The cool thing about a start-up - this is sort of the entrepreneur side of me - is that you can make it grow as much as you can. Or you can squander the talent as much as you want. But it's up to you.
I love my fans.
I remember coming out of college thinking, 'OK, I'm gonna get an agent, and I'm gonna make money. I'm gonna make millions of dollars.' And that never happened.
I golf for my own entertainment and my teammates' entertainment.
People don't know how fantastic women's ice hockey is. People don't know how fantastic hockey is in general.
I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play hockey, especially when there weren't equal opportunities as there are now. But at times, it was challenging.
