Hilary Knight already has built a Hall of Fame resume with the United States women's national team, but she's not done adding to her legacy. The American forward became the IIHF Women's World Championship all-time leader in points on Thursday, as she reached 87 points to pass former Canada forward Hayley Wickenheiser for the record.
🚨 RECORD BROKEN! 🚨
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) September 1, 2022
HILARY KNIGHT SETS A NEW RECORD FOR MOST CAREER #WomensWorlds Points!@usahockey @HilaryKnight pic.twitter.com/JLwYHtgHIN
HILARY KNIGHT GETS HER 87TH POINT!!!@usahockey #womensworlds #usahun pic.twitter.com/LQJC6wWDtQ
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) September 1, 2022
"It's crazy, you start with a dream and you want to represent your country on a world stage and be a part of that room," Knight said during the second intermission about breaking the record. "It's just an honor to be here."
The 33-year-old entered the quarterfinal matchup one point behind Wickenheiser for the record. An assist on Hannah Bilka's goal in the second pushed Knight into a tie, and then she took the lead with a goal in the third period.
Originally, she was credited with an assist in the second on a Caroline Harvey goal, and the team subsequently celebrated. The assist was later removed from Knight, but she already had the additional goal.
This comes one year after she became the tournament's all-time leading goal scorer, securing her 45th career goal at the 2021 edition of the event to pass former American star player Cammi Granato.
It's just another sensational mark on what has been an illustrious career for Knight, who has been representing the red, white and blue since she was a teenager. In total, Knight owns eight World Championship gold medals, an Olympic gold medal, three World Championship silvers and three Olympic silver medals.
MORE: IIHF Women's World Championship 2022 scores, schedule
After a perfect preliminary round, Knight and the United States are aiming to win the country's 10th gold medal. The team defeated Hungary 12-1 to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
Most points all-time at the Women's World Championship
Knight now sits atop the all-time points list at the tournament with 87 points and counting.
She previously had broken the USA record at the tournament by surpassing Granato's mark of 78 points at the 2021 tournament. Knight entered the tournament in fourth, sitting behind Canada's Jayna Hefford and Wickenheiser. She passed Hefford in the preliminary round and her two points against Hungary allowed her to leapfrog Wickenheiser for the lead.
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hilary Knight | USA | 87 |
| 2 | Hayley Wickenheiser | Canada | 86 |
| 3 | Jayna Hefford | Canada | 83 |
| 4 | Cammi Granato | USA | 78 |
| T-5 | Danielle Goyette | Canada | 68 |
| T-5 | Brianna Decker | USA | 68 |
