Cammi Granato

Catherine "Cammi" Granato's extraordinary playing career, which included captaining the United States to the gold medal in the first-ever Olympic Winter Games that included women's ice hockey, has played a key role in the growth of hockey not only in the United States, but across the world.

After learning to play hockey in the backyard of her Downers Grove, Ill., home with her sister and four brothers, Granato skated for the Downers Grove Huskies from kindergarten through her junior year in high school. She was often the only girl and the youngest player on the ice. After a brief break from the game, she began attending hockey camps and then played for the Assabet Valley girls' program in Massachusetts.

From there, Granato earned a scholarship at Providence College, where she completed a legendary four-year playing career. Beyond establishing scoring records for the Friars in a career that included 99 games and 256 points (139 goals), Granato captured ECAC Player of the Year honors in three consecutive years (1991-93), while leading the team to conference titles in 1992 and 1993.

A 15-year member of the U.S. Women's National Team beginning in 1990, Granato is the program's all-time scoring leader with 343 points (186-157) in 205 games. She played for Team USA in the first-ever International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship in 1990 and served as captain of many U.S. squads in international competition throughout her storied career.

In 1992, at just the second IIHF World Women's Championship, Granato was named the tournament's top forward after leading all players in the Championship with 10 points (8-2). She played in the World Women’s Championship nine times in her career and helped Team USA to eight silver medals and, in her last World Championship in 2005, the team's first gold medal in the event.

Granato achieved international fame by captaining Team USA to the gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, the first time women's ice hockey was included in the Games. There, she had the honor of being chosen as the U.S. flag bearer for the closing ceremonies.

After those Olympics, there was an explosion of female hockey programs in the United States and Granato was launched into the spotlight, making her one of the most recognizable female athletes in the world. Her picture on the Wheaties box, her first book, a season broadcasting for the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings and the annual Cammi Granato Gold Medal Hockey Clinic for Girls all followed.

From 1998 through 2002, Granato continued to lead Team USA, becoming one of the most potent goal scorers of all time. At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Granato paced the United States in scoring and helped the team capture the silver medal.

In 2007, Granato received the NHL's Lester Patrick Award in recognition of outstanding service to hockey in the United States, and, in 2008, she was enshrined into the IIHF Hall of Fame. Granato was the first woman to be honored with the aforementioned awards and is the first female to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.