Before the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins drop the puck on a Sunday morning game this weekend, a pair of local hockey heroes will get some well-deserved recognition.
The Blackhawks announced on Thursday that Kendall Coyne and Alex Rigsby will be part of the pre-game festivities on Sunday after receiving gold medals in PyeongChang, South Korea, as part of Team USA’s women’s hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Americans defeated Canada 3-2 in a thrilling shootout to capture their first goal medal in 20 years.
Coyne is originally from Palos Heights in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and graduated from Sandburg High School in nearby Orland Park. Along with her extensive career with Team USA, Coyne has also handled a role as a community liaison for the Blackhawks. During the 2018 Olympics, Coyne had two goals and one assist for Team USA. She’s pictured below with teammate Hilary Knight in part of their post-game celebration following that shootout victory.
Rigsby is from Downers Grove in Chicago’s western suburbs and grew up in the playing goaltender for the Chicago Mission, a local youth hockey club. Rigsby played college hockey for the University of Wisconsin and was the first woman to ever be drafted by the United States Hockey League when the Chicago Steel selected her in 2009. During the Olympics, Rigsby served as the backup to starting goaltender Maddie Rooney.