us women's hockey captain Hilary Knight proposes to Brittany Bowe at Milan Cortina Games
Hilary Knight, the long-serving captain of the U. S. women's hockey team, popped the question to longtime partner Brittany Bowe at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The engagement, revealed in a short video the pair posted online, came one day before the Americans' gold-medal game against Canada and has become one of the feel-good stories of the closing days of the Olympics.
Proposal details and immediate reaction
The clip shows Knight dropping to one knee and presenting a ring; Bowe nods and accepts, and Knight slips the ring onto her finger. Knight later said the idea of proposing at the Games had been on her mind for months, and that the Olympic setting felt like a full-circle moment for the couple. She chose a quiet spot outside the athletes' village to make the moment private, and enlisted help to get the ring to Italy without tipping off her partner — a sister carried the box separately so it would not turn up in shared luggage.
Teammates and fellow athletes responded with exuberance. A close teammate described being unable to contain excitement, while another called the news a morning of pure joy. The proposal also drew a wave of congratulatory messages from other athletes inside the Olympic bubble.
On-ice stakes and Olympic context
The timing of the proposal is notable: Knight and the rest of the U. S. women's hockey squad are set to face Canada for the gold medal on Thursday at 1: 10 p. m. ET. Knight is skating in what she has said will be her fifth and final Olympic Games; she heads into the final guaranteed to leave Milan Cortina with a record fifth Olympic medal. If the Americans win Thursday, Knight will add a second Olympic gold to a career that already places her among the program's all-time leaders — she has 14 Olympic goals, a total tied for the most by a U. S. women's player.
Brittany Bowe, a veteran speedskater and two-time Olympic bronze medalist, also wrapped up a busy Olympic schedule. She finished fourth in both the 1, 000 meters and the team pursuit at these Games and is scheduled to close her Olympic program by competing in the 1, 500 meters on Friday. These were Bowe's fourth Olympic Games and the latest chapter in a relationship that began when the pair first met at the 2018 Games and deepened in 2022 when pandemic restrictions in Beijing kept athletes close to the Olympic Village and away from outside distractions.
What comes next for the couple and the teams
With families and friends still in Europe, Knight chose to propose while those closest to the pair could celebrate in person. She has described the last several years as a mutual journey of attending each other's competitions and celebrating accomplishments together — a rhythm that helped both athletes balance the pressures of elite performance with the steadiness of partnership. Bowe has spoken about quickly realizing Knight would be a long-term presence in her life, noting the mix of athletic power and personal warmth that drew her in.
Beyond the immediate celebrations, attention now turns back to the ice and to speed skating. Knight will lead the U. S. into one of the most storied rivalries in the sport as the two North American powers meet for Olympic gold, while Bowe seeks a final Olympic flourish in her closing race. Whatever the outcome on the scoreboard, the engagement has given both athletes an unforgettable Olympic memory to carry home.
