The U.S. women’s hockey team has been dominating the field in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, outscoring opponents 31-1 while recording five consecutive shutouts. They can finish one of the most dominant runs in Olympic history with a win over rival Canada in the gold medal game Thursday.
The team has captured the attention of Ideastream Public Media’s sports commentator Terry Pluto.
“I covered one Olympics, that was in '94 in Norway, which just a little context, they didn't even have women's hockey back then," Pluto said. "And I don't even recall in '94 when they talked about the new sports to try out that they were going to go with women's hockey, but they did four years later, and now you see it's become a big deal."
Northeast Ohio has been represented by Laila Edwards of Cleveland Heights, who has emerged as one of the most compelling figures of the tournament. The 22-year-old is the first Black woman to play ice hockey for Team USA.
“She went to a prep school in Rochester, New York, which is the way kind of a feeder system to the top programs," Pluto said. "Then she played at University of Wisconsin. She leads the NCAA in scoring last year.
Pluto said what happened next speaks volumes about both Edwards and the modern women’s game.
“She mentions to the (Team USA) coach that she'd be willing to switch from forward, which is a scoring spot to defender, which is less glamorous spot,” Pluto said. “You do a lot more skating backwards than forward. You don't take as many shots. In fact, you're blocking shots from the other team. And she wanted to do that, she thought, to help the team.”
Even in that role, Edwards has produced. In addition to her five assists this Olympics, Edwards has also scored two goals.
Pluto said Edwards’ path is closely connected to her family, especially her older sister, Chayla, who also played hockey at the University of Wisconsin.
“Chayla, who’s two years older, was an academic All-American, and she won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award,” Pluto said. “That actually helped Laila, because her sister was out a couple years ahead of her, you know really kind of blazing the trail.”
Beyond her individual success, Pluto said Edwards reflects a broader change in how women’s hockey is viewed, including in Northeast Ohio.
“When the U.S. Women's hockey team played some exhibition games before the Olympics, including one at Rocket Arena, they scrimmaged the Canadians at different places," Pluto said. "The crowds were big, and Laila has mentioned in interviews a lot of girls who were suddenly getting interested in hockey because of her.”
He also emphasized how the women’s game presents a different version of the sport.
“The premium was more on speed and skill,” Pluto said.
To Pluto, that style may be part of why the sport is reaching new audiences.
“It's a really pure form of hockey that the women play,” he said.
Pluto believes this Olympic moment could mirror turning points seen in other women’s sports.
“There were different moments in women's basketball in college where it began to take off and then with the WNBA beginning, suddenly more people got interested in it,” Pluto said. “And this is the kind of thing that maybe ... Especially to say when Laila turns pro in a couple of years or whatever, because there is a women's pro hockey league. Maybe that grows, perhaps that gets on TV.”
The immediate focus, however, remains on the gold medal game against Canada. The U.S. has won two previous Olympic gold medals, one in 1998 and the other in 2018. Canada has won all five other Olympic tournaments, but the U.S. is favored Thursday after beating the Canadiens in four exhibition games.
"But sometimes you have to be very careful about this ... when it comes to the gold medal game, it's one game," Pluto said. "We can't mess all that we've done up with one bad night, and I would think that Layla Edwards and the rest of that crew won't let that happen."
