Angela Ruggiero
Angela Ruggiero
Angela Marie Ruggierois an American ice hockey defenseman. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee and was a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team, medaling in four successive Winter Olympic Games, including one Gold medal, two Silver, and one Bronze. She competed in ten Women's World Championships winning four Gold medals and six Silver. She also authored a memoir about her hockey experiences called Breaking the Ice. She also was a contestant on the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth3 January 1980
CountryUnited States of America
I've never played in a consolation game in my life. This is really going to test the character of our team. As hard as it is right now to think about it, by game time I think we'll be ready. People can see past the color of a medal and see what we did to earn it.
I've never played in a consolation game in my life.
I've never played a consolation game in my life. We expected to be playing for a gold medal.
Shari's a player you see who has made tremendous strides in the last couple of years. She was always a good college goalie, but there are a lot of good college goalies out there. She's worked hard. She's in peak shape. Coach couldn't ask for more. A lot of it for her is getting experience between the pipes because that position is so mental.
She played like I expect her to play -- perfect.
We were excited to win the game and excited to win a medal, but I think maybe in the back of our heads we wished we were playing (against Canada). But we're still proud of ourselves.
It's hard to build the game when it's being played like this. I'm here to promote our game on the biggest stage it's got, and it's not the best hockey in the world when the teams are so different.
We're mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted right now. The stress -- we had players waking up and throwing up.
We're excited to win the medal. But I think maybe in the back of our heads, we wish we were playing in the next game.
I'm able to give a voice to the athletes around the world - use my degree for something other than the power play.
I wish I could play the whole game and come back tomorrow.
I look at myself, and how much I've gotten just because I play a sport well.
It's not about, 'Let me play as long as I can so I don't have to grow up.' It's about, 'Let me play as long as I enjoy it,' and when it's time to step away, I can step away gracefully even if I'm still good enough to keep playing, because I'm ready for that next phase.
I still love hockey. It's just I'm at a different stage of my life and I think I'm just ready to grow in other ways outside of just being a hockey player.