Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
My two earliest memories - earning little buttons on our skates when we learned how to skate from one end of the ice to the other and when I first lifted the puck.
Each person on a team has a responsibility and a role, and knowing the value of each individual and what they bring to the table is something very special and unique.
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.
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.
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.
My favorite country that I have visited would have to be Sweden. I'm such a sucker for the Swedish culture, and I learned Swedish in college, so I like to try and navigate my way around.
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.
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 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'm able to be able to achieve certain things that others aren't - whether it's a reaction time or the idea of a coffee that's about to be spilled and I'm able to grab it before anyone else or whatever it is.
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!
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.
Women in general, we tend to shrink ourselves and not have as much confidence as we should in presenting ourselves and our body types. It's OK to be fit and healthy and comfortable within your body, whatever frame you have.
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.
I am the oldest in our family. I have three younger brothers. I needed to set a great example for them. It instilled a sense of competition in me and hunger to strive to be the best. There's a lot of pride being the only girl and the oldest.
When I graduated from the University of Wisconsin, I was highly encouraged to move to Boston to train as a hopeful for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. I remember packing up my car, traveling out here to live with other teammates and share an apartment.
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.
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 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.
I've always been sensitive to the phrase 'like a girl,' especially when I was growing up and was told I couldn't play with the boys. It really resonated with me. I was so inspired by the first #LikeAGirl video, and I wanted to be a part of such a powerful message.
Growing up on an all-boys' team wasn't the easiest thing. I'd have guys come after me on the ice and just hit me because I'm a girl. I'd have parents heckling me from the stands, other parents not wanting me on the team, not making certain teams just because I was a girl.
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 wear yoga pants and get to work out all the time - it's my job. I feel a little bit different when I go into what I call 'the real world.' It's cool to be able to train as a full-time job, and it's something that I love and will continue to try to make work for the next however-many years.
How do we make hockey more affordable? How do we get it into more households? How do we keep it part of the conversation? Those are things that will help us not only increase registration numbers from a grassroots level but also deepen the player pool from the senior national team and the elite level.
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.'