Abbey Murphy sparks Team USA’s gold-medal dreams: ‘When she’s on your team, it’s a lot more fun’

MILAN — Abbey Murphy couldn’t resist being aggressive Monday night when Swedish goaltender Emma Soderberg clumsily handled the puck behind her own net.

The American provocateur charged toward Soderberg to try to poke the puck away, slamming into the Swede hard enough to jerk her head backward and send her sprawling.

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After referees assessed a minor penalty on Murphy for goalie interference, Swedish defender Jessica Adolfsson intercepted the American on the way to the penalty box and shoved her in the chest with her right hand. Murphy theatrically fell to the ice, drawing a roughing penalty on Adolfsson and nullifying the Swedish power play.

The sequence was still fresh in the minds of Swedish players when speaking to Swedish media outlets after their 5-0 semifinal loss to the U.S. Soderberg accused Murphy of hitting her “right in the head” and questioned why the American didn’t receive a more severe penalty. Defender Mira Jungåker called Murphy’s alleged flop “pathetic” for someone “as skilled as she is.” Adolfsson said she takes pride in serving as her goalie’s “bodyguard.”

“If you want to lie down and cry on the ice after a little push, you can do that,” Adolfsson continued. “I can’t do anything about that.”

There is no other player in women’s hockey more gifted than Murphy at getting under the skin of rival teams. The 23-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago has driven Olympic opponents crazy with her unprecedented blend of mind-blowing skill, relentless motor, prolific trash talking and penchant for embellishment.

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In the U.S.’s 5-0 group-stage thrashing of rival Canada, Murphy drew not one, not two, but four Canadian penalties. Murphy was also the first to respond when Italy’s Franziska Stocker cross-checked one of her American teammates, shoving the Italian twice and then following with a stiff left jab to the face mask. She smirked as she skated to the penalty box, chirping at Stocker the whole way.

Murphy is tied for third among players at these Olympics with seven points, but her two goals and five assists only hint at her impact. She is the emotional spark plug for a juggernaut U.S. team that enters Thursday’s gold-medal match against Canada having demolished its first six Olympic opponents by a combined score of 31-1.

“Obviously you love to have her on your team,” American defender Haley Winn said. “Whether it’s a goal, an assist or a big hit, she’ll do whatever it takes for our team to win.”

Though Murphy is the first in her family to play hockey, her toughness is a product of how she was raised. Her father, Ed, is a Marine veteran and former college football player. Her mother, Lynne, is an emergency room nurse and a former college softball star. Both her older brothers were athletes, Patrick a college football player at Division III Carthage College and Dominic an all-American wrestler at Division II St. Cloud State.

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In a 2023 interview with The Rink Live Podcast, Murphy described the environment in her household as a “free-for-all.”

“Whenever there was a fight, my dad would love it and my mom would be like, ‘Cut it out, cut it out,’” Murphy said. “We would never stop until someone got hurt or someone took it too far.”

Then, laughing, she added, “It worked pretty well for all three of us.”

Murphy took an interest in hockey after an across-the-street neighbor taught her how to roller blade. Her parents bought her some hockey skates, enrolled her in youth hockey programs and then watched her thrive, first competing against boys and later for the all-girls Chicago Mission Youth Hockey Club.

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By 16, she earned a spot on the U.S. roster for the U-18 World Championships.

By 18, she blossomed into the University of Minnesota’s second-leading points scorer as a freshman.

By 19, she became the second-youngest player to make the U.S. Olympic team for the 2022 Games in Beijing.

When Murphy left the University of Minnesota to join her U.S. Olympic teammates in Milan, she was the Gophers’ runaway leader in goals (36), assists (25) and penalties taken (23). She also had just produced one of the plays of the year at any level of hockey, a highlight-reel bounce pass that hockey analyst John Buccigross called “the greatest assist of all time.”

The inspiration behind Murphy’s YouTube-worthy assist was watching Michigan State forward Ryker Lee pull off a similar pass in early January. Murphy said she didn’t plan on attempting it in a game. It just happened.

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“I think the biggest thing I’m proud of is the eyes it put on women’s hockey,” she said. “That’s my most important takeaway from it — a lot of people commenting, ‘Oh my God, women’s hockey, this is awesome.’”

Murphy has produced several more moments on the Olympic stage that have gotten the hockey world buzzing.

There was her top-shelf goal from a tight angle against Sweden to ignite a scoring spree.

There was her slick no-look pass from the corner that caught Canada’s defense by surprise and set up Hannah Bilka for the easiest goal she’ll ever score.

And there was the moment against Italy when she rushed to Bilka’s defense after the hit from Stocker that Murphy perceived as dirty.

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“Anyone in front of the net that gets cross-checked, I’m not going to just watch that happen,” Murphy said. “That’s not me. I’m not just going to let it go. But obviously our coach says find that fine line. Don’t get in trouble. Don’t do anything stupid that’s going to keep me out of the next game.”

With the possible exception of her hit on the Swedish goaltender, Murphy has effectively traced that razor’s edge. She has been a menace for U.S. opponents, a threat to score, set up a teammate or draw a penalty at any moment.

American forward Kirsten Simms plays for the University of Wisconsin and has faced Murphy a handful of times per year in college the past few seasons.

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When asked about Murphy earlier in these Olympics, Simms smiled and said, “When she’s on your team, it’s a lot more fun.”