Hockey Legend Angela Ruggiero Grows Game as Broadcaster

Angela Ruggiero knows what winning looks like. The four-time Olympian and member of three Hockey Halls of Fame spent 2026 behind the mic instead of on the ice, covering women's hockey at its biggest moments.

Ruggiero served as NBC's analyst for the Milan Olympics and ESPN's commentator for the NCAA Frozen Four. From both vantage points, she witnessed something she helped build decades ago reaching new peaks.

"The play just gets better and better," Ruggiero said. "Women's hockey and hockey in general just keeps getting faster."

The 1998 Olympic gold medalist saw Team USA's young squad claim gold in Milan while a veteran Canadian team pushed them to the limit. Switzerland's Alina Muller scored an overtime goal to secure bronze, capping what Ruggiero called the second most important Olympics for women's hockey since that inaugural 1998 tournament.

Back then, Ruggiero and her teammates introduced the world to women's hockey. Nearly three decades later, the sport has transformed into a showcase event with record viewership.

The Ripple Effect

The 2026 Olympics created a new opportunity Ruggiero never had. College players like Wisconsin's Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Ava McNaughton, and Kirsten Simms competed in Milan, then returned immediately to their NCAA teams instead of pausing their education.

Those four Badgers brought Olympic gold confidence straight back to Madison. Weeks later, they won the NCAA national championship.

"You got the benefit at the Wisconsins of the world that inherited these players back," Ruggiero explained. "Having come off of that kind of training and calibre of play, to bring it back to the NCAA, that was on full display."

When Ruggiero won Olympic gold in 1998, she had to leave Harvard for two full seasons to train with Team USA. After her Olympic moments ended, there was nowhere to channel that championship energy.

Now, Olympians from Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Czechia compete in the NCAA Frozen Four alongside American stars. The ecosystem Ruggiero helped plant has bloomed into year-round elite competition.

Between broadcasting gigs, Ruggiero stays busy building the game through other channels. She works with the New York Rangers, serves on the International Olympic Committee, and helped bring the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles.

The growth of women's hockey mirrors the broader rise of women's sports, and Ruggiero gets to witness and amplify both from her new perspective.