The 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be the last time Angela Ruggiero, a 5′9″ defender for team USA, suits up to play for the American National Team. She is a big physical defender. Ruggiero will be retiring at the age of 30-years-old. It is very common to see women retire at earlier ages as they do not receive the same financial backing that men do.
She competed with the National Team for her first Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan during 1998. Over the past eleven years Ruggiero has become an important fixture on the National Team and for Women’s hockey in general. Her goal in her final Olympics is of course to beat USA’s main rival Canada and in the process win the gold medal.
In 213 games for the US National Team she has recorded fifty six goals and 122 assists for 178 points as a defender.
Also, She has appeared on the sixth season of Donald Trump’s popular television series “The Apprentice”. Trump offered her a job following the show but she decided to decline and train for one final Olympic Games. Prior to this she had attended Harvard University and obtained a degree, showing that this is one driven and multi-talented individual.
Her plans for retirement? Helping to develop a Women’s professional hockey league for players from all over the world to participate in. She believes that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the Western Women’s Hockey League are the foundation that the new league could be formed out of. Even the NHL only started as a 6 team league with mostly Canadian players. Read the rest of the entry »
When Angela Ruggiero retires at the end of the 2010 Olympics, the rivalry that has burned so intensely between the Canadian and American women’s hockey teams will lose just a little of its bite.
The youngest player on the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a beaming 18-year-old Ruggiero flew around the ice waving her American flag to celebrate grabbing gold from the Canadian women, who stood by watching on the ice, stunned and sobbing.
By the time Ruggiero competes in her fourth - and she says final — Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, the all-time leader in games played for Team USA will be 30, and the second oldest member of the team. Most of her 1998 teammates have retired, but this assistant captain remains a pillar of the program and one of the rivalry’s most vibrant personalities.
The physical defenceman is one of the most imposing women on the ice at 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds. She also has a silver medal from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake, and a bronze from the 2006 Turin Games. For another shot at gold in 2010, Ruggiero has gone all in, putting a blooming career on hold to train.
“Getting back to the top of the podium would be priceless,” said Ruggiero. “You get to the age where you can step back and appreciate what’s going on. I almost retired after 2006 but I thought, I can still play, why not, let’s go for it.”
Ruggiero, who studied and played hockey at Harvard University, appeared on season six of The Apprentice, and although she did not become the official apprentice, Donald Trump still offered her a job. After pondering for a while, charismatic Ruggiero declined the job, deciding to instead spend her time training full-time for one last Olympics. Read the rest of the entry »
A diverse, talented group of Olympic Champions and Olympic hopefuls are joining forces as part of the Coca-Cola “Six-Pack” of Athletes for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The athletes will also serve as Coca-Cola “Ambassadors of Active Living” to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives.
The Coca-Cola “Six-Pack” will be featured on special in-store materials In January and February, 2010 to help Coca-Cola celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. The new “Six Pack,” a group of Olympic Champions, medalists and hopefuls, includes:
Angela Ruggiero – three-time Olympic medalist in women’s ice hockey, member of 1998, 2002, and 2006 U.S. Olympic Teams
Gretchen Bleiler – silver medalist in women’s half-pipe (snowboarding), member of 2006 U.S. Olympic Team
RockneBrubaker and Keauna McLaughlin – reigning U.S. National Champions in pairs figure skating
Evan Lysacek – reigning World Champion in men’s figure skating, member of 2006 U.S. Olympic Team
Apolo Anton Ohno – five-time medalist in men’s short track speed skating, member of 2002 and 2006 U.S. Olympic Teams
This is the second consecutive Olympic Games that Coca-Cola has featured a “Six-Pack” of Athletes as part of the brand’s Olympic program. The Coca-Cola “Six-Pack” who competed in Beijing in 2008 brought home 14 Olympic medals and encouraged countless across the U.S. to live positively. The group included, Natalie Coughlin, LeBron James, Shawn Johnson, Steven Lopez, Andy Potts and Sanya Richards.
Angela Ruggiero was one of a handful of promising athletes selected to be part of the NBC/USOC Promotional Photo Shoot which took place on May 12-14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Click the link below to scroll through Angela’s photo gallery on Universal Sports:
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate exists to recognize the stellar achievements of United States Olympic and Paralympic athletes, teams and coaches.
On April 16, 2009, the United States Olympic Committee and Allstate proudly announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Distinguished members from previous classes include Olympic legends Muhammad Ali, Peggy Fleming, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Bonnie Blair, Eric Heiden, Mark Spitz, Janet Evans and the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team.The 1998 Women’s Ice Hockey Team brought home gold at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, the first time women’s ice hockey was included in the Games. Team USA upset four-time World Champion Canada in the championship game by a score of 3-1, a feat that helped fuel significant growth of the women’s game in the United States. The team was named the USOC Team of the Year in 1998.
The 2009 class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate will include five individuals, one team and one Paralympian, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and special contributor. The inductees will be revealed in early July and will be honored at a ceremony in August. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate is the only national sports Hall of Fame that includes fan voting. Read the rest of the entry »
After defending its world title for the first time at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship last month, the U.S. Women’s National Team was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team of the Month for April. In addition, Caitlin Cahow was honored as the USOC’s Athlete of the Month. These two Honors Come on Heels of Second Straight World Title for Team USA
At the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Championship, which took place in Hameenlinna, Finland, from April 4-12, the U.S. Women’s National Team topped rival Canada in the gold-medal game by a decisive 4-1 score. With the championship, the U.S. moved up to No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time since the system was introduced in 2004. The U.S. squad posted a 4-0-0-1 record and outscored opponents 28-3 in the tournament.
It is the fifth of such honors for the U.S. Women’s National Program in the last 16 months, as the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team also garnered the award in January of both 2008 and 2009, the U.S. Women’s National Team received the nod in April 2008 and the U.S. Women’s Select Team was honored in November 2008.
Back to Back World Champions! The U.S. Women’s National Team made history by successfully defending its world title with a 4-1 victory over Canada at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship in Finland. The United States completed the tournament with a 4-0-0-1 record and now holds the No. 1 world ranking for the first time since the system was introduced in 2004.
Date Opponent Result
April 2 Sweden (Exhib.) W, 9-0
April 4 Japan W, 8-0
April 6 Russia W, 8-0
April 9 Finland W, 7-0
April 10 Canada L, 1-2
April 12 Canada W, 4-1 - Gold medal game
VIERUMAKI, Finland – the U.S. Women’s National Team showed they were ready to compete, en route to a 9-0 shutout victory over Sweden here tonight in a pre-tournament game prior to the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship, which begins Saturday (April 4) in Hameenlinna, Finland. Read the rest of the entry »
Team USA Finishes Atop Group A in 2009 IIHF World Women’s Championship Preliminary Round
HAMEENLINNA, Finland – After taking an 8-0 win against Japan on Saturday, April 4, the U.S. Women’s National Team shutout Russia with another 8-0 win on Monday April 6.
Angela Ruggiero was one of seven different players who scored in leading the U.S. Women’s National Team to an 8-0 rout of Russia to close out preliminary-round play at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship here today at the Patria Arena. With the win, Team USA finished atop Group A in the preliminary round with a 2-0-0-0 record and advanced to the qualifying round. Read the rest of the entry »
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ESPN Play Ball! With Amanda & Melissa: 
Angela Ruggiero was one of a handful of promising athletes selected to be part of the NBC/USOC Promotional Photo Shoot which took place on May 12-14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate exists to recognize the stellar achievements of United States Olympic and Paralympic athletes, teams and coaches.
USA Hockey
Back to Back World Champions! The U.S. Women’s National Team made history by successfully defending its world title with a 4-1 victory over Canada at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship in Finland. The United States completed the tournament with a 4-0-0-1 record and now holds the No. 1 world ranking for the first time since the system was introduced in 2004.
VIERUMAKI, Finland – the U.S. Women’s National Team showed they were ready to compete, en route to a 9-0 shutout victory over Sweden here tonight in a pre-tournament game prior to the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship, which begins Saturday (April 4) in Hameenlinna, Finland. 