1. Her shootout goal help clinch Team USA’s win! Amanda, 26, was one of three U.S. women’s hockey players to score on Canada goalie Shannon Szabados in the Olympics shootout on Feb. 22. Jocelyn Lamoureux and Gigi Marvin also scored. Team USA finally beat Canada to win their first Olympics gold medal in women’s hockey since 1998. “Our entire team battled through a lot,” Amanda said after the amazing win. “You can’t see it on the outside, but the heart that every single girl has on this team, I knew we had it within us to win.”
2. She suffered a concussion during the 2014 Olympics. Amanda was injured during a scrimmage before the Sochi Olympics. She didn’t really realize what was wrong until long after the 2014 Olympics. She told ESPN that she started “feeling crappy every day” and had headaches almost constantly. “Just the stimulus of the environment got to me,” she said. “Oh, and the sensitivity to natural light was the worst.” Thankfully, she’s all better now!
3. She’s the National Women’s Hockey League’s highest-paid player. In 2016, Amanda signed a one-year $26,000 deal with the New York Riveters.
4. She’s going to take time off after the Olympics, according to ESPN. She’s keeping her mind open about what she wants to do next. Amanda is working on her own clothing line for Gongshow Gear and usually hosts a hockey camp in the summer.
5. Her brother is a famous hockey player, too! Amanda’s brother, Phil Kesser, played hockey for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics. The team took home silver that year. He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who’ve won the Stanley Cup the past two seasons.
ima let u finish, but amanda kessel had one of the most clutch shootout goals OF ALL-TIME, one of the most clutch shootout goals of all-time ¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/vd3oKh32wE
— ego (@notmalkinego) February 22, 2018
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of Team USA’s big win? Let us know!