Karyn Bye-Dietz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karyn Bye-Dietz |
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| Born | May 18, 1971 River Falls, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ECAC team | New Hampshire Wildcats (1989–1993) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  United States |
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| Playing career | 1989–2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Karyn Lynn Bye (born May 18, 1971) is a retired ice hockey player from the United States. She was a key player and alternate captain for the U.S. Women's Hockey Team. This team won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Karyn was even featured on a Wheaties cereal box in 1998! She has been honored in both the IIHF Hall of Fame (in 2011) and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (in 2014).
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Karyn Bye's Hockey Journey
Starting Young in Wisconsin
Karyn Bye was born on May 18, 1971, in River Falls, Wisconsin. When she was young, she played for the River Falls Wildcats Boys High School Hockey team. She used the name K.L. Bye to keep her gender a secret. Even though her dad wanted her to play basketball, Karyn loved hockey and kept playing. Her amazing skills helped her earn a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire.
College Hockey Star
Karyn played for the New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey team. She was a top scorer, getting 164 points in 87 games. Karyn led her team in scoring for all four years she played. As captain, she helped the Wildcats win the ECAC championships twice.
After college, Karyn went to graduate school at Concordia University in Montreal. She continued to play hockey for the Concordia Stingers women's team.
Playing for Team USA
Karyn Bye first joined the U.S. national team at the 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship. She played in five more World Championship tournaments after that, winning a silver medal each time.
In 1998, Karyn helped lead Team USA to their first-ever Olympic gold medal. This happened at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She was a top scorer for the team, with five goals and eight points in six games. She tied with Cammi Granato for the most points. Karyn also played for Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where they won a silver medal.
Because of her great career, Karyn was chosen for the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2011.
Life After Playing Hockey
After retiring from playing, Karyn Bye stayed involved with hockey. She has worked for the Minnesota Wild hockey team, helping with their youth programs. She also teaches fitness classes at her local YMCA. Karyn even coached her son's hockey team!
As of 2010, she also works as a commentator for the Minnesota Girls State High School Hockey Tournament. Karyn is married and has two children.
Awards and Special Honors
- 1995 Concordia University Fittest Female Athlete
- 1995 and 1998 Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award
- Inducted into the University of New Hampshire Hall of Fame in 1998.
See also
- Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics
- United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics
- Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
