The U.S. women took advantage of the off-day by taking an adventure up to the mountains to visit with family and friends, and do some interviews with NBC. Today also marked the 20-year anniversary of the U.S.’s gold-medal victory in the inaugural women’s Olympic hockey tournament.

MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE
All 23 players, as well as coaches and team staff, piled onto a bus at 10:45 a.m. this morning for a ride up to the mountain cluster. After making a brief stop at the mountain cluster Athlete Village, the team headed up to the Olympic park to see the Olympic flame and take some photos. They were also joined by an old friend, Olympic champion Angela Ruggiero. Players also had a chance to spend some time with their family and friends today. Many stopped by P&G House and USA House during the mountain visit to grab lunch and catch up with their loved ones.

ON CAMERA
Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.) paid a visit to the NBCSN set in the coastal cluster, where she met with Liam McHugh for an interview. They chatted all things hockey, including the Canada rivalry and the outlook leading into the semifinals. Also this evening, Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.) and Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) sat down with Rebecca Lowe for an interview for NBC Daytime.

TWENTY YEARS TO THE DAY
Today, Feb. 17, marked twenty years to the day since the U.S. women claimed the first gold medal in Olympic women’s ice hockey. The 1998 team is one from which the current team has drawn much inspiration.

Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.): Gretchen Ulion (now Silverman) was a member of the 1998 team that won gold and I was able to meet her after she came back from that Olympics. She put her medal around my neck and I put her jersey on, and from that moment forward I knew I was going to make it to the Olympics and play for Team USA, or at least I was going to do everything in my power to put myself in a position to do so.

Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.): I met Cammi Granato when I was 8 years old at her hockey camp and saw her gold medal from the Nagano 1998 Olympics. That was the first time I realized girls/women played hockey, and they could play in the Olympics. From that day on, it was my goal to play in the Olympics and be like Cammi. She is the reason I started my own hockey camp in my hometown because she fueled my dream of going to the Olympics and I remember that feeling.

Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.): Angela Ruggiero has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration because she has not only made an impact on the athletic side women’s hockey, but has also made and impact on the business side of women’s hockey. She has helped grow the game to where it is today and I respect her so much for all she has done.

Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.): Playing in the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was six years old and USA won gold in the 1998 Winter Olympics. As I grew up and began to truly understand what it would mean to represent the USA and compete for a gold medal, playing in the Olympics quickly turned into my ultimate goal. The women’s team was my inspiration.