Olympics: Team USA’s Taylor Heise talks American pride at Winter Games
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Midway through overtime in the gold medal match against Canada at the Winter Olympics, American Taylor Heise, with the weight of the entire nation on her shoulders, passed the puck to Megan Keller and then walked towards the bench.
Heise later said he didn’t see what happened.
“I gave the puck away and slid toward the bench as fast as I could and I was almost there when he scored and then everyone started jumping and that’s when I knew he had scored. So I just turned around,” Heise recalled in an interview with Fox News Digital on Saturday. “After watching it about 10 times, it’s incredible for him to do that and it’s a gutsy play to make in overtime, but he’s very talented and someone who can do it with grace every time.”
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Taylor Heise #27 of Team United States Laila Edwards #10 of Team United States celebrates victory after the Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game (2-1 overtime) between the USA and Canada on the thirteenth day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
From there came joy and victory.
As Team USA captured its first gold medal in women’s ice hockey since 2018 and only the team’s third gold medal overall in Olympic history, the American team joined Keller in celebration.
“It was definitely a relief,” Heise said of the moment he threw his gloves in the air and hit the ice in celebration. “I think when I can throw down the gloves and do all that and celebrate with the girls, I think it’s the best kind of relief, not the relief of the fact that we didn’t think we could do it, but the relief of the fact that we’re done and we’re finally done and we’ve climbed Mount Everest and we’ve done what we’re supposed to do.
“It’s an incredible feeling and it’s been so much fun to enjoy it. And I think today is the first day that I can take a second to relax and enjoy the glory that we’ve created for ourselves here and I’m so excited to live in it and these are definitely moments that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
One of the moments that Heise claims stood out to him was being able to hear the team play “The Banner Spread with Stars” after capturing the gold medal.
He talked about its importance in his postgame media appearance with reporters on Thursday and broached the subject again with Fox News Digital.
Grace Zumwinkle (L) and Taylor Heise of the United States celebrate after the women’s ice hockey victory ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, February 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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“Playing for the pride of your country and hometown is pretty awesome, and wearing the USA emblem on your chest every day is something you don’t want to take for granted,” he said. “I guess sometimes things can get repetitive. We’ve been here for 22 days and sometimes you have to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing and remember that hockey is a kids game and it’s a fun sport to be a part of and to represent your country at the highest level is pretty incredible.”
“And getting the full support of everyone back home, that’s probably been my favorite part. The messages we’ve gotten from past alumni, people who played on the team, and just people in the U.S. have definitely been one of my favorite parts because they clearly see the talent and joy that we play with.”
The Heise is going to have some memorable moments over the next few days, but his season isn’t over yet.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will return to the ice for the Minnesota Frost. He is one of six Frost players on Team USA. The team will return to action on March 1 against Montreal Victoire.
With millions of people watching the gold medal game, Heise said he is confident the PWHL will gain new fans.
Grace Zumwinkle (L) and Taylor Heise (27) of the United States celebrate after winning the women’s ice hockey gold medal game against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, February 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
“I would take a week off in Mexico, but I understand that’s not possible,” Heise joked. “But yeah, we’re all excited to get back and start in the PWHL again. It’s definitely a league that gives us a platform to play and kind of look back at the WNBA and how they started. “It’s a consistent grind and we’re not just going from here to there in two days.
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“It’s definitely been a tough time for a lot of people, with our expansions and stuff, moving teams and things like that, but I think, you know, 7.7 million people attended that gold medal game, which is great by the way, I think it’s pretty special because I think we’ve gained a lot of new fans. Whether you’re just a women’s hockey fan or you’ve watched the Olympics and you realize we play in a professional league now, it’s pretty special and I think we’ve got a few more fans that will come to our games and decide they want to be PWHL fans in the future.” We expect it to happen.”
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