The 22-year-old from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, helped Team USA defeat Czechia 5-1 and scored her first Olympic point in the opening period.
MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — Laila Edwards is the first Black woman to compete for the U.S. women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics, breaking a nearly three-decade barrier.
“To have the opportunity to be an Olympian is crazy just even say out loud,” Edwards said. “There are a lot of people who helped me get here that I owe thanks to, and I want to give my best every day to make them proud.”
The 22-year-old is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and grew up skating to perform in figure skating at her fathers suggestion.
“I first realized how special Laila was when she was like 7 and she was making adult moves, like zooming through people,” her father said. “She kept playing with boys and just got better and better.”
Edwards began her Olympic medal quest in Italy on Thursday, skating on Team USA’s first line.
The 6-foot-1 Edwards competed on defense in Milan after spending most of her career in the forward position. She volunteered to swap because the team had injuries.
She spent 20:46 minutes on ice in her Olympics debut to help Team USA defeat Team Czechia 5-1 on Thursday.
Wearing No. 10, Edwards recorded her first Olympic point after helping set up Alex Carpenter’s goal in the opening period.
Before becoming an Olympian, she won two national championships in three years with the University of Wisconsin Badgers. She also has played internationally, where her presence has resonated with young athletes of color.
“There was a mom with her two kids of color in Europe, and they came to every single game,” Edwards said. “She told me how cool it was for her kids to see people who look like them playing hockey. I was extremely emotional and honored by that.”
Her career included challenges in the predominantly white sport.
“Walking into a rink and being told the basketball courts were that way was very annoying and tough,” she said. “Having experienced those microaggressions at a younger age definitely taught me lessons and made me stronger.”
Even so, Edwards said wearing the USA sweater is one of the greatest honors of her life, and she dreams of standing on the podium with a gold medal.
“When I’m laying in bed at night and can’t sleep, I picture those rings and having the opportunity to see them up close,” she said. “It almost feels like that’s what I should be seeing when I close my eyes in my dream, but it’s reachable now.”
She is one of the most accomplished players on Team USA’s roster, being named Most Valuable Player of the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
The Associated Press, WKYC and KARE contributed to this report.