Hilary Knight Was More Nervous Proposing to Brittany Bowe Than Playing for Gold

Hilary Knight and Brittany Bowe met in PyeongChang eight years ago and started dating during the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Hilary Knight Was More Nervous Proposing to Brittany Bowe Than Playing for Gold

Hilary Knight, Brittany Bowe (Images via Getty Images/@hilaryknight on Instagram)

In Short
  • Hilary Knight proposed to her girlfriend Brittany Bowe the day before winning gold with the USA ice hockey team.
  • Knight's proposal surprised both Bowe and her teammates, announced via Instagram.
  • She became the all-time highest point-scorer for the USA in Olympic ice hockey during the gold-medal game.

The United States of America ice hockey team captain, Hilary Knight, led the team to their first gold medal since 2018, after an overtime thriller against arch-rivals Canada. The Seattle Torrent forward added a fifth Olympic medal to her showcase, having a gold in 2018 and a silver in 2010, 2014, and 2022.

The 36-year-old from Idaho was playing in her fifth Olympic final, and she had been acquainted with the pressure of the gold-medal match. However, a day before, she had another high-pressure, high-stakes situation she has never been in, which was considerably more anxiety-inducing than a gold medal game, at least for Knight.

Knight was proposing to her long-time girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, whom she met four years ago in Beijing during the Winter Olympics. The speed skater and the ice hockey forward have been dating since, and Knight finally popped the question on the morning before her big final.

I was more nervous for the proposal than I was for the gold medal game.

Hilary Knight admitted following the gold medal win

It was, in fact, an elite athlete and an equally romantic move from Knight. She had been having jelly legs throughout the tournament because she was nervous about proposing to Bowe. So, she pulled the ultimate move and went down on one knee in the morning, during one of the coffee runs, after considering both of their schedules and the way that they started dating four years ago amid COVID protocols in Beijing.

The proposal was quite the surprise for not only Bowe but also Knight’s teammates, who were blissfully unaware of their captain’s move. They came to know along with the whole world when Knight posted on Instagram, announcing their engagement with the caption, “Olympics brought us together. This one made us forever.”

What Knight didn’t anticipate was the immediate virality of the video, garnering thousands of likes in mere hours.

In the gold-medal game, Hilary Knight was instrumental in securing the US win as she put an assist from Laila Edwards to a game-tying goal that took the game to overtime. It was also her 15th Olympic goal and 33rd point, making her the all-time highest point-scorer for the country in the Olympics.

Hilary Knight and Evan Bates are Team USA’s flag-bearers for the closing ceremony on Sunday

The Team USA athletes have chosen Hilary Knight and Evan Bates, who won a gold in the team event and silver in ice dance figure skating, as the flag-bearers for the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy.

Madison Chock, Evan Bates
Madison Chock and Evan Bates performing their free dance routine of Ramin Djawadi’s orchestral arrangement of “Paint It Black” in Westworld (Image via Fox News)

Knight, who was playing in her last Olympics, admitted that she was choking up when she was informed that she would be carrying the flag from the Verona Arena.

I had tears in my eyes because, you know, we’ve- they voted. And to be able to represent Team USA and to be able to do that in the last Olympics with people you love and the rest of the delegation, so special.

Hilary Knight said

In an address to her fellow Team USA figure skaters, it was Bates’ wife and ice dancing partner, Madison Chock, who delivered a surprise announcement to her husband, where she informed him of his selection as a flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

It is my great honor to share this experience with all of you. After such a wonderful week together, I would like to present Evan with something special. You have been selected to serve as the closing ceremony flag bearer.

Madison Chock said

The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from members of Team USA, as Bates, 36, embraced his wife, and the couple shared a kiss. The Winter Olympics 2026 was also the last Olympics for the ice dance pair as well.

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