Hilary Knight Welcomes Pressure That Comes With Playing In ‘Titletown’

Hilary Knight is an elite goal scorer who headlines the trio of free agent signings with the Boston franchise of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Knight is joined by goaltender Aerin Frankel and defender Megan Keller on the inaugural roster for the yet-to-be-named franchise in Beantown as part of general manager Danielle Marmer’s wish list.

“It’s not missed on us that this is a historic year in many ways,” Knight told reporters via a teleconference on Thursday. “Obviously having a professional league and somewhere sustainable to play is just so exciting.

“But to double down and return to Boston and build a substantial legacy here with these two individuals (Aerin Frankel and Megan Keller). I can’t think of anybody better to do that with and no better city to do it in.”

Knight is not a stranger to the atmosphere surrounding sports in Boston. She began her professional career with the Boston Blades and won the Canadian Women’s Hockey League Clarkson Cup championship in 2013. In 2015, Knight moved to the Premier Hockey Federation as a member of the Boston Pride, winning the inaugural Isobel Cup in 2016.

Returning to Boston makes sense for the forward who excelled at every level of hockey she’s played in.

“I think the excitement, the buzz around hockey, not just in the state of Massachusetts but in the New England area is just ecstatic,” Knight said. “… I can’t think of a better location to have such a competitive team. It’s not lost on us that it’s called ‘Titletown’ for a reason.

“There’s a big responsibility to step up and step into the spotlight and put on a great performance for our fans because we do have the best fans in the United States and that’s something I personally am looking forward to playing in front of and, having that fanbase continuing to grow as we move forward.”

Playing for a city with such passion comes with pressure as well, doesn’t it? Not according to Knight.

“I would just quote Billie Jean King and say, ‘Pressure is a privilege,'” Knight said. “It comes with the territory. It’s something that each one of us on this call and future teammates aren’t going to be new to. So, that’s what’s exciting. That’s why we signed up to play hockey. Drop the puck and it’s a 50-50 opportunity.

“You know what the responsibility is and you know where you’re playing and you want to make sure you put your best foot forward every time we hop on the ice to put our team in a position to win and we want to win and that’s why we’re coming to Boston. We want to bring championships and titles to Boston and we want to be a part of that legacy and that history.”