Hilary Knight Reflects On What Another Olympics Means Beyond Medals And Records

Hershey's is heading into the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a message that goes beyond the podium: happiness is the real gold. During the Games, the iconic chocolate brand will spotlight joy, family, and the moments that don't always make the highlight reels through its new creative campaign, "Hershey's. It's Your Happy Place." The platform features five U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including four-time U.S. Olympic medalist Hilary Knight, sharing personal stories about finding happiness along the journey, not just in winning, and turning that feeling into something tangible.

As a longtime supporter of Team USA, Hershey's teamed up with five winter Olympians and Paralympians, along with the families who have been there since the earliest mornings and long drives, including Brenna Huckaby (Para Snowboarding, four-time U.S. Paralympic medalist), Erin Jackson (Speedskating, U.S. Olympic gold medalist), Jason Brown (Figure Skating, U.S. Olympic bronze medalist), Jordan Stolz (Speedskating, U.S. Olympian), and Hilary Knight (Ice Hockey, four-time U.S. Olympic medalist).

Knight opened up about what the campaign's message meant to her and why it immediately resonated. "Happiness is the real gold," she told The Blast exclusively. "For me, it's like, all the moments in between the big ones that not everyone sees. It's very much the friends, the family, the journey, all the people who have helped me get to this point, and so it's really just like celebrating those in-between moments."

For Knight, having her parents on set made the shoot feel full-circle, and they were "sort of elated," telling her, "This is what you do? Like, this is so cool." She added that her mom, "a huge chocolate person," was especially excited to be involved, calling it a natural fit for their family and praising Hershey for celebrating not just the spotlight moments, but "the journey."

While the campaign celebrates joy, Knight said the journey was built on her family's sacrifice, especially those early mornings. "It's the 5 a.m sessions… my mom already had the car running, and my brothers and I are just rolling up in our pajamas," she recalled, adding that her parents worked hard to "make each one of our dreams work."

Growing up in a busy family of four kids close in age, she said it wasn't easy to juggle schedules, but her support system never missed a moment. "In any competition, you can hear my brothers in the stands, one of them's got a cowbell," she said. "They're very much a part of this journey."

Knight said the structure her parents built at home helped prepare her for the chaos of elite sports. "My parents taught me structure," she explained, recalling how each morning started with "a white piece of printer paper" listing everyone's initials and "essentially the schedule laid out for the day."

Even if it felt a little "wacky" at the time, Knight said it stuck with her, and she's grateful for it now, especially with how busy life has become.

Knight has been part of U.S. women's hockey since 2006, and she told The Blast her relationship with the sport has evolved as the game itself has changed. "The game is as fast as it's ever been now," she said, explaining that her focus is "trying to always be at my best whenever I hop on the ice" while also adapting over the course of such a long career.

She added that the sport has only gotten more skilled with time. "It's changed a lot," she admitted. "There's more skill than there's ever been before, and it's really refreshing and encouraging to see."

As Knight heads into what will be her fifth Olympic Games, a milestone that will make her the first U.S. women's hockey player to compete in five Olympic Games, she said she's focused on what the experience represents personally, beyond medals and numbers. Still, the stakes are historic: with four medals already (one gold, three silver), a fifth would tie the all-time record held by Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, and she's aiming to add a second Olympic gold medal to her collection alongside her 2018 gold.

"I'm just excited to be a member of Team USA," she said. "It's so special being over there, just seeing the best of the best. Like, these are the best athletes in the world."

Knight said she hopes the Hershey's campaign resonates with young athletes in a way that feels genuine and leaves room for their own definition of happiness. "I know throw [the word happiness] around as a buzzword, but [happiness] is so different for everybody," she said. "Finding those small wins, that's what happiness means to me."

And while she embraces the whole Olympic experience, even as a fan outside her own events, she made one thing clear once competition begins: "When Puck drops, we're going to take care of business."