Brittany Bowe & Hilary Knight

The U.S. women’s hockey team captain and veteran speed skater have a particularly special relationship with the Olympics, having gone on their first date during the 2022 Beijing Games.  

“Hilary and I have known each other for a number of years through different Team USA events…but that’s the first time we really did have time to connect and get to know one another, ” Brittany, 37, told People in January. “Hilary would ask, ‘Oh, do you want to go for a walk after dinner?'”

Their “fully masked” walks weren’t “romantic at all,” Hilary, 36, told NBC Olympics. “But it was cute.”

Brittany explained, “We didn’t have the family, the friends, no outside distractions,” the veteran speed skater continued. “And we really had a lot of time just to get to know each other.”

She took bronze in the 10,000 meters, but leaving with a girlfriend was “the biggest win coming out of Beijing for sure.”

The couple’s home base is now Salt Lake City, where their off-ice hobbies include pickleball and gardening. While Hilary, a star forward for the Seattle Torrent, isn’t retiring from hockey, her fifth Olympics will be her last, and Brittany—the oldest member of the U.S. speedskating team—is hanging up her blades as a four-time Olympian.

“In the sports world, I’m like the old lady now,” Brittany told NBC Olympics. “I have been so blessed to have such a long, successful career, and for me, it’s just time. I’m excited for what life will look like next.”