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 a consolation game in my life. We expected to be playing for a gold medal.
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.
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.
That's women's hockey. Some refs think that if somebody falls down, you've got to call it. Part of that is the talent differences, because things look different to the refs when two teams are playing at two different speeds. Hopefully they're not doing that when we play Canada.
I love the physical part of the game, and I don't back down from it. I've been in fights in beer-league games back home. But the rules are there for a reason, especially when you're playing a team that's not as big and strong as you are.
I came here to win a gold medal. But am I proud of our team? Yes. We showed a lot of character after hitting rock bottom after the loss to Sweden. No one expected to be playing for the bronze.
We lost in the semifinals, but we still wanted to bring home a medal to the United States.
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.
The resilience of this team, the character we showed in coming back and beating Finland yesterday, we're all proud of ourselves in the fact that we're bringing the U.S. home a medal, It was great for us to start off strong, and I think we scored like two minutes, 30 seconds into the game, a good testament to the team that we were really refocusing and really went hard right from the beginning.
Before, I was the baby of the team and now, even though I'm not the oldest, I have more experience than almost anyone, ... I'll never be able to fill their shoes, but I know my role has changed a little bit. Their legacy has inspired every single person on this team.
At the beginning of the Games, we were looking to win one color and, in the end, we're taking home a different one.
We don't think about it (the big game with Canada). We try not to if it suddenly flips into our head.
You don't expect to go to a shootout. We didn't even know the protocol. We wanted to win the game flat-out.