During the memorable 2018 Winter Games, Kacey Bellamy helped the United States end an 18-year gold medal drought, and today she announced her retirement. It will be Bellamy’s 34th birthday in April. She was a 15-year member of the U.S. women’s national team.

Bellamy said: “The sport of hockey has given me the greatest memories, and as difficult as it is to make this decision, I know that it’s the right one. With that said, I’m no longer playing and moving on to the next chapter.”

Additionally, the Massachusetts native won silver at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and was one of two women to win eight golds at the ICF Women’s World Championships. It was initially scheduled for 2020 but because of local health regulations, the tournament will be held this year in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The lack of knowledge about COVID-19 made it easier for Bellamy to navigate the game. Playing in tournaments meant spending time off the ice in a hotel room. “It’s not like she’ll miss out on a lot of team bonding,” Stack said.

Since the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association in 2019, Bellamy has been trying to strengthen women’s hockey after participating in National Women’s Hockey League and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

Former teammate Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said the pandemic has prevented Bellamy from playing, especially near the end of her career, even though she was training as usual.

Despite her intense competition every day, Bellamy made her an opponent others disliked hearing about or even training against, according to Lamoureux-Davidson.

This is why her leadership off the ice is immeasurable and it will be greatly missed by Team USA, Lamoureux-Davidson said.

As a professional, Kacey Bellamy scored 22 goals with 83 assists in 166 games while featuring for the USA national team.