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Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan retires after 14 years with U.S. women's hockey team

The U.S. women’s hockey team lost a key figure Tuesday. Team captain and forward Meghan Duggan announced her retirement after 14 years with the team.

Duggan, 33, said it was a privilege to play for Team USA, but added she’s ready to embrace the next part of her life, according to ESPN.

Although being an athlete will always be part of my identity, I am ready for the next chapter. I know it's the right decision for me, but at the same time, it's still very emotional. The exciting part is deciding what's next. My wife, Gillian, and I welcomed our son, George, in February. I am looking forward to the new adventure and challenges of being a mom and to helping put George in positions to thrive.

Duggan played in three Olympics, winning silver medals in both 2010 and 2014 before helping lead Team USA to a gold medal in 2018.

Meghan Duggan of the 2018 United States Women's Hockey Team holds up her gold medal during a ceremony.
Meghan Duggan helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in 2018. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Duggan names 2017 labor negotiation as career highlight

While winning a gold medal was one of Duggan’s greatest achievements, she also highlighted a moment away from the rink that meant a lot to her. Duggan was instrumental to securing a new contract with USA Hockey that raised pay and performance bonuses for the women’s team, and increased fundraising for USA Hockey to develop teams for young girls interested in hockey.

The players threatened to boycott the IIHF World Championships if USA Hockey failed to secure a new deal. Both sides were able to come together, avoiding a boycott. Duggan praised the deal at the time, saying women’s hockey was “the big winner today."

In her retirement post, Duggan said that deal with USA Hockey was “one of the biggest moments in my hockey career.”

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