Angela Ruggiero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Angela Ruggiero |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2015 | |||
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Ruggiero in November 2018
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| Born | January 3, 1980 Panorama City, California, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
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| National team |  United States |
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| Playing career | 1996–2011 | ||
Angela Marie Ruggiero (born January 3, 1980) is an American former ice hockey player. She played as a defenseman. Angela is a gold medalist and competed in four Winter Olympic Games.
She was also an important member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2010 to 2018. She led the IOC Athletes' Commission, which represents all Olympic athletes around the world.
In her hockey career, Angela was named the best player in the NCAA. She was also called the best player in the world by The Hockey News. The US Olympic Committee named her their Player of the Year.
Angela was a key player for the United States women's national ice hockey team. She won medals in four Olympics:
- A gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
- Silver medals in 2002 and 2010.
- A bronze medal in 2006.
She also played in ten Women's World Championships. There, she won four gold medals and six silver medals. She was named the Best Defenseman twice at the Olympics and four times at the World Championships.
On June 29, 2015, Angela Ruggiero was chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame. She was officially inducted on November 9, 2015. She was the fourth woman and the second American woman to receive this honor. She is also the only person born in California to be inducted. Angela holds the record for the most games played for Team USA, with 256 games. She was also inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2017.
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Playing Career Highlights
Angela Ruggiero was born in Panorama City, California. She grew up in Sylmar and then Simi Valley, California.
She played hockey at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school in Connecticut. While still in high school, Angela was the youngest player on the 1998 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. This team won the gold medal in Nagano, Japan. She also helped the team win silver in 2002, bronze in 2006, and silver again in 2010.
College Hockey Success
In her final year at Harvard University, Angela won the 2004 Patty Kazmaier Award. This award goes to the top player in U.S. women's college hockey. She was the only defenseman to win it for many years. She helped Harvard win a National Championship in 1999. They were also NCAA Runner-Up in 2003 and 2004.
Angela graduated from Harvard in 2004 with a degree in government. She was recognized as an All-American player four times. She also received the NCAA's Top VIII Award for her success in sports, academics, and community work.
Making History in Professional Hockey
On January 28, 2005, Angela Ruggiero made history. She played for the Tulsa Oilers in a Central Hockey League game. She was the first woman to play in a regular season professional hockey game in North America, not as a goalie.
Her brother, Bill Ruggiero, was a goalie for the Oilers. This made them the first brother-sister pair to play professionally at the same time. Angela also recorded an assist in that game. This made her the only woman to score a point in a North American professional hockey game.
Angela also scored the game-winning goal in a shootout. This helped the United States win the 2005 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships. It was the first gold medal ever for the U.S. at this world championship.
In December 2009, Angela was chosen for her fourth Olympic hockey team. She trained with NHL players to get ready for the 2010 Olympics. On January 14, 2010, she was named an alternate captain for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.
Angela played for the Boston Blades in the CWHL. On December 19, 2010, she scored the game-winning goal. This ended the Montreal Stars' undefeated season. On December 28, 2011, Angela announced her retirement from hockey.
After retiring, Angela continued to be involved with the Olympics. As an IOC Member, she presented gold medals to:
- The U.S. Women's Soccer Team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
- The U.S. Women's Basketball Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
- The U.S. Women's Ice Hockey Team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Education and Achievements
Angela Ruggiero has a strong educational background. She earned her Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Harvard Business School. She also has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Harvard College. In addition, she received a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Minnesota. She earned her master's degree in Sports Management in 2010 while training for her last Olympics.
At Harvard, she was a First-Team Academic All-American. She also won the NCAA's Top VIII Award in 2004. This award recognizes the top eight student-athletes in the entire NCAA. In 2015, she was inducted into the COSIDA NCAA Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
Personal Life and Other Ventures
After winning gold at the 1998 Olympics, Angela faced a challenge. A local rink in Michigan refused to let her play because she was a woman. News reporters investigated, and the rink eventually allowed women to play.
Angela wrote a book called Breaking the Ice: My Journey to Olympic Hockey, the Ivy League & Beyond. It was published in 2005. The book is for young women. It shares her hockey journey and the challenges she faced as a female player in a sport often dominated by men.
In 2007, Angela was a candidate on the TV show The Apprentice. She was eliminated in the tenth episode. After the show, Donald Trump offered her a job.
Angela is married to Sarah Cahill. They have two boys.
Post-Hockey Career
Angela Ruggiero is the CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab. This company uses technology to research sports trends. It helps sports brands find new products and services for the future of sports. Before this, Angela worked at Bridgewater Associates, a large investment firm.
Angela is also a popular speaker. She gives motivational talks at schools, businesses, and organizations. These include the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. She has written for many newspapers and hosts a podcast called “The Fluid Fan.”
Volunteer Work and Leadership
Angela has volunteered for many organizations. She was a director for the New York Islanders' Project Hope. She also worked with the New York Islanders Children's Foundation.
She went on a goodwill tour with other Olympic athletes to Afghanistan. After college, she spent a summer in Uganda. There, she helped create a sports program for children. Angela has spoken at the UN several times, representing the IOC and women in sports.
Angela has held many leadership roles in sports. She was on the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic Committee. She was also on the board of the World Anti-Doping Agency. She served as president of the Women's Sports Foundation. As an IOC Member, she was on the IOC's Executive Board. She also led the Athletes’ Commission. She helped Los Angeles win the bid to host the Olympics in 2028. She is currently on the boards of the Boston Athletic Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Awards and Honors
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's ice hockey | ||
Representing the  United States |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1998 Nagano | Team competition |
| Silver | 2002 Salt Lake City | Team competition |
| Silver | 2010 Vancouver | Team competition |
| Bronze | 2006 Turin | Team competition |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2005 Sweden | Team competition |
| Gold | 2008 China | Team competition |
| Gold | 2009 Finland | Team competition |
| Gold | 2011 Switzerland | Team competition |
| Silver | 1997 Canada | Team competition |
| Silver | 1999 Finland | Team competition |
| Silver | 2000 Canada | Team competition |
| Silver | 2001 United States | Team competition |
| Silver | 2004 Canada | Team competition |
| Silver | 2007 Canada | Team competition |
- 1998 Olympic gold medalist
- 2002 Olympic silver medalist
- 2006 Olympic bronze medalist
- 2010 Olympic silver medalist
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (2015)
- United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (2015)
- IIHF Hall of Fame inductee (2017)
USA Hockey Awards
- Four-time Olympian (gold 1998, silver 2002, bronze 2006, silver 2010).
- Named the tournament's top defensemen twice (2002, 2006).
- Ten-time member of the U.S. Women's National Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship (gold-2005, 2008–09, 2011; silver-1997, 1999–01, 2004, 2007).
- Named the tournament's top defenseman four times (2001, 2004–05, 2008).
- Selected to the media-all star team four times (2004–05, 2007, 2009).
- Seven-time member of the U.S. Women's Select Team for the Four/Three Nations Cup (1st-1997, 2003, 2008; 2nd-2000, 2004–06).
- 2003 and 2004 USA Hockey Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award winner.
- She scored 208 points (67 goals, 141 assists) for Team USA.
- She played more games (256) than any other man or woman for USA Hockey.
College Hockey Awards
- Played four years at Harvard University.
- Four-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (Winner-2004).
- Four-time All-American selection (First Team-1999-2000, 2003–04).
- Finished with 253 points (96 goals, 157 assists) at Harvard. This ranks her sixth all-time and first among defensemen.
- As a senior (2003–04): ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year.
- As a junior (2002–03): Top-scoring defenseman in the country.
- Led Harvard to the national championship in 1999. They were NCAA runner-up in 2003 and 2004.
Other Notable Awards
- Beanpot MVP (2004)
- Best Female Hockey Player in the World by The Hockey News (2003)
- Directorate Award as the Top Defenseman at the Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City (2002)
- ECAC Player of the Year (2004)
- 2004 ECAC Tournament Most Valuable Player
- Four-time NCAA All-American (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
- Harvard Crimson Female Athlete of the Year (2004)
- Harvard MVP (2001, 2003, 2004)
- Ivy League Player of the Year (2004)
- NCAA Top VIII award (2004)
- Patty Kazmaier Memorial Trophy winner (2004)
- Ranked one of Top 16 Female Athletes in the World by ESPN.com (2004)
- Top Defenseman Award at the Winter Olympics (2002, 2006)
- Top Defenseman in the World by The Globe and Mail (2003)
- Inducted into the National Italian Sports Hall of Fame (2011).
- One of the first two female hockey players in NHL 13 video game.
