Kelly

Stephens

The Short List

• 2006 Olympic bronze medalist
• 2005 World champion
• 2004 World Championships silver medalist
• Two-time Four Nations Cup medalist (2003 gold, 2005 silver)

Did You Know?

• Finished second in scoring on the team with seven points in five games and sixth in the tournament at the 2005 World Championships
• "Bottom line, I love to play," said Stephens to The Seattle Times. "I can't imagine not playing hockey."
• Played for the University of Minnesota, co-captaining her second straight NCAA Championship title (2005)
• Scored a total of 62 points her senior year, 64 points her junior year, 34 points sophomore year and 44 points her freshman year leading the team in goals (23) as a Gopher
• Played in seven games for the NWHL's Vancouver Griffins in 2001 season - voted the MVP at the NWHL's Women's Esso Nationals
• Having long hair when she started playing hockey, Stephens learned fast that a ponytail when on a boys team isn't the smartest idea - "I always had short hair, or kept it under my helmet, so I wouldn't stand out," she said to The Seattle Times.
• Skied, snowboarded and swan competively until a friend's mother taught her to play hockey at age 8 ... Stephens dropped the other sports a year later
• Enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, tennis, surfing
• Nickname: Stevie

It's Every Day
A very lively lady and player, Stephens told HearldNet that she can't wait to get to the Olympics. "I want to go tomorrow," she said after finding out she made the cut. "I'm just so excited. This is an amazing opportunity and a great honor." Team USA coaches must have noticed this bundle of energy. "She's a very exciting athlete," said U.S. head coach Ben Smith. "When you're putting a team together, one of the key ingredients is skating speed. So right off the bat, she jumps into that category. She has very good skating speed and she has good puck skills, which is the next thing you're looking for. She's fast, she's tough and she can attack when she has the puck. She's the type of player that will log a lot of ice time for us."

 

Related Links

Audio: Love on Ice

Quote

When the 2006 Olympic team was announced: "I had to ask the girl sitting next to me," she told The Seattle Times, "'Did he just say my name?'"