{"id":44875,"date":"2017-09-27T06:15:29","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T06:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=44875"},"modified":"2017-09-27T06:15:29","modified_gmt":"2017-09-27T06:15:29","slug":"u-s-womens-hockey-team-united-although-work-remains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/u-s-womens-hockey-team-united-although-work-remains.html","title":{"rendered":"U.S. women’s hockey team united although work remains"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. women’s hockey team united although work remains<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

U.S. women’s hockey team united although work remains :- PARK CITY, Utah \u2014 With a little more than four months until the Olympic women\u2019s hockey tournament begins, the U.S. team has never been a more unified group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the cohesion stems from the team\u2019s highly publicized battle with USA Hockey for equitable pay and benefits that ended March 29 after players threatened to boycott the world championships. The fight resulted in a four-year deal that increased financial support for national team players and placed a greater focus on the women\u2019s game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three days after the deal was announced, the Americans returned to the ice in Plymouth, Mich., for the world championships, which culminated with their fourth consecutive gold medal at the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dispute took an emotional toll on the players, but it also brought them closer together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we were able to accomplish this past spring with the whole equitable sport battle, it just speaks volumes about the character that we have in that room,\u201d said forward Hilary Knight, a two-time Olympic silver medalist. \u201cYou can do as many team building (exercises) as you want and try to build chemistry, but that was something that we all lived together. It was challenging, it was exciting, it was nerve-racking, every single emotion probably touched. But to be able to come together as a group, as a unit and fight for something that\u2019s bigger than ourselves, something that\u2019s extremely heartfelt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Forward and team captain Meghan Duggan was one of the leaders of the players\u2019 efforts to reach an agreement. She called hundreds of American players to ensure USA Hockey would not be able to field a team of replacement players during worlds. Players used the slogan \u201cYou cannot be what you cannot see,\u201d during the dispute, seeking to increase programming for young players and more marketing for the women\u2019s game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n\u201cWe want to inspire the next generation. We want to play more games. We want them to see us,\u201d Duggan, who is also a two-time silver medalist, said Tuesday at the U.S. Olympic Committee\u2019s media summit. \u201cWe want to bring young girls in the locker room and really show them this is what you can be. And it\u2019s important to be strong role models for them. That was a huge driving force behind the whole thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With players now in residency in Wesley Chapel, Fla., for the months leading up to the Olympics that begin Feb. 9, the team was asked if they\u2019ve moved on from the stressful time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Personally I\u2019m proud of it,\u201d Knight said of the players’ resolve to reach an agreement. \u201cThere are things behind the scenes that still need to be dealt with. You can\u2019t really gloss over that everything\u2019s great, everything\u2019s 100%, we got everything we asked for because we didn\u2019t. However, with the understanding that not everything is going to happen overnight. These struggles are going to be sort of daily things that we need to hold not only ourselves, but other people accountable for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source :-\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/olympics\/2017\/09\/27\/us-womens-hockey-team-united-although-work-remains\/706848001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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