The women’s national ice hockey team brought home the gold medal for the United States of America after the team’s captain, Hilary Knight, was able to tie the game against Canada and allow for overtime to take place, ultimately giving Team USA the opportunity to score one final time for a 2-1 win over Canada in an epic podium-topping match.
Not only did Team USA win the gold medal, but the world cheered for Knight again when she and her longtime girlfriend – and fellow Team USA Olympian – Brittany Bowes announced their engagement on Instagram following the women’s final hockey game. But now the 36-year-old has revealed to ESPN’s SportsCenter and CBS Mornings that she competed in the gold medal-winning match while quietly dealing with a torn MCL. Here’s what to know about the revelations of Knight’s serious injury at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Hilary Knight Says Playing With An Injury Was ‘A Mental Sort of Gymnastic Challenge’
GettyHilary Knight of Team United States celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the third period during the Women’s Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada.
The injury Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight reveals she played with while competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics is a tear of her MCL, otherwise known as the ‘Medial Collateral Ligament’ located in the knee. According to Cleveland Clinic, there are three grades a torn MCL can be given – grade one, grade two, or grade three. The higher the grade of a torn MCL, the more damage sustained and the greater chances that surgical intervention will be needed to repair the damaged ligament. Although Knight didn’t reveal the specific grade of her injured MCL at the Olympic Games, she did open up about the reality of playing ice hockey on the world stage with a compromised MCL.
Speaking to the impact of playing on an injured MCL at the Winter Olympics in Italy, Knight revealed to CBS Mornings that, “I’m not walking around the best, and I’m missing a few games for the [PWHL’s] Seattle Torrent.” Like other knee injuries, treatment options range from conservative to more invasive depending on the extent of damage sustained. A torn MCL may require treatment methods including rest, elevation, physical therapy, a knee brace, using crutches to walk for a period of time, surgical intervention, and/or medication.
Knight went on to elaborate about the feat it took to play at the international competition with an injured knee, saying, “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.”
After witnessing fellow Team USA member Lindsey Vonn sustain a much more severe injury on the ski slopes in Milan-Cortina after having previously experienced an injured ACL – a different ligament in the knee – safety around sports is certainly a rising concern and conversation to be had regarding how far Olympic athletes will be expected to push themselves and their bodies.
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