Hilary Knight achieved her second Olympic gold medal last month at the Milan Cortina Games, marking her fifth Olympic appearance with Team USA. She made history by scoring the game-tying goal that pushed the gold medal match against Canada into overtime, becoming Team USA’s all-time leader with her 15th career Olympic goal. Knight’s remarkable performance came despite grappling with a torn MCL throughout the tournament.
Playing Through Pain: The Challenge of a Torn MCL
After the Olympics, Knight revealed to CBS Mornings that she had sustained a torn medial collateral ligament during the Games. This injury is now causing her to miss several upcoming matches with the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). She described the experience as both mentally and physically demanding but credited the team’s support staff for helping her manage the injury and perform at a high level despite the pain.
“To be able to play through injury was definitely a mental sort of gymnastic challenge for myself and also physical, but we’ve got some amazing support staff that did their best to get me out there and perform at my best—as best as I could.” – Hilary Knight, U.S. Women’s Hockey Player
Notable Moments Following the Olympics
While still recovering, Knight remained highly visible. She was honored as one of the flag bearers during the Olympic closing ceremony alongside figure skater Evan Bates. Shortly after, Knight appeared for the second time on Saturday Night Live, joined by fellow Team USA hockey members Megan Keller, Quinn Hughes, and Jack Hughes. During the show, she referenced a viral moment involving President Donald Trump’s controversial joke about inviting the women’s hockey team to the State of the Union address, a remark Knight has previously called “distasteful.” Despite the incident, she emphasized the strong camaraderie between the women’s and men’s hockey teams, supported publicly by several men’s team members.
Continued Support and Future Outlook with Seattle Torrent
Although Hilary Knight has not yet returned to active play, she recently received a standing ovation from the first sold-out crowd attending a Seattle Torrent game. The fans’ reaction underscores her significant impact both on and off the ice. As Knight focuses on rehabilitation, her perseverance through pain and leadership are expected to inspire her teammates and influence her teams’ performances in the coming season.
.@HilaryKnight played through the 2026 Olympic Games with a torn MCL — and came out a gold medal-winner.
Knight, who earned her fifth Olympic medal last month with the U.S. women’s hockey team, shares what it feels like to realize her lifelong dream and recalls the response she… pic.twitter.com/Z2Cw9WzHXv
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 2, 2026
You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) February 23, 2026
