Hilary Knight recalls Olympic marriage proposal at SheBelieves Summit
The Emerald City had an opportunity to hear from another one of its gems Wednesday. Torrent star Hilary Knight headlined U.S. Soccer's SheBelieves Summit.
In its eighth iteration, the daylong event provides networking and inspirational speakers. Although it was a debut in Seattle, the city epitomizes the Summit's goals in providing exposure and opportunities for women in sports.
Seattle is the only city in the nation to have a WNBA, NWSL and PWHL team. The trio have also set multiple attendance records within their leagues.
"What an iconic place considering all the history and the legends that walked the different venues here," Knight said on stage to a crowd of 710 attendees at Victory Hall at The Boxyard near Lumen Field.
Knight's introduction was a slight roasting by Torrent teammates Cayla Barnes, Emily Brown and Hannah Bilka. They shared Knight's diet of cheese puffs, pasta with "no color," sandwiches that consist of white bread, cheese and onions and, an all-time favorite, Uncrustables.
"She's single-handedly keeping the Uncrustables business alive," Brown told the crowd, which included her entire team. "The greatest thing to ever happen to Hilary this year was the creation of the 12 grams of protein Uncrustables."
U.S. soccer legend Julie Foudy handled the formal conversation with Knight. Topics wove from being a teammate, the Olympics and post-Olympics high and building a hockey league.
An enduring moment was Knight sharing the behind-the-scenes tale of her proposing to U.S. speed skater Brittany Bowe. The two-time Olympic medalist also participated in the Summit, sharing how to invest in yourself to succeed during an earlier panel.
The Olympians kindled their relationship at the Beijing Winter Games in 2022 making this year's competition a perfect setting to capture the emotion of their love story, Knight told the crowd. But, she added, nerves made her unsure, canceling plans multiple times.
Knight proposed the eve of USA's goal-medal match against Canada. The first stop that day in preparing to pop the question was receiving treatment on her knee to be able to get down on bended knee.
"Whenever I would go to Brit's events during the Games, I could barely get up the stairs sometimes. I would put on a very stoic face because I didn't want anyone knowing I'm injured," Knight told the crowd. "The idea of me trying to get down, I was like ‘oh my gosh!' Then I realized I'm over a grate and I'm like ‘Oh, my gosh, this is insane!' It was super special for us."
Foudy wrapped up the discussion by asking Knight if there was anything left for her to achieve. The hockey star is a five-time Olympian who played an integral role in forming the Professional Women's Hockey League, including bringing an expansion team to Seattle. She's also advocated for pay equity and visibility across all women's sports.
This year was filled with more accolades and new experiences like appearances on "Saturday Night Live," "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and attending the Oscars. On Wednesday, she was named to Time's 100 Most Influential list.
Perhaps as expected, Knight said she wanted to win a Walter Cup in Seattle.
The Torrent were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention after losing a road game in Vancouver on Tuesday. The team has three games remaining, which will help determine seeding for a draft that should feature top college players like Olympians Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey and Abbey Murphy.
"We're a little down bad," Knight said about being eliminated. "But I wanna feel and have that (winning a championship) experience with Seattle because this place is so special … It's so special to be a woman in sports in Seattle. There's nothing like it so thank you."
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