Evergreen Park Ready To Cheer On Abbey Murphy In Winter Olympics

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — It’s not everyday Evergreen Park has an Olympian in the mix, but residents are cheering hometown girl Abbey Murphy as she and Women’s Hockey Team USA prepare to do battle in the Winter Olympics opening in Beijing this week.

She is living her dream of making the Olympic team ever since she was a little kid being taught to rollerblade by a neighbor and pushing puck buckets around on the ice.

“I didn’t know how to feel at first,” Murphy told Chris Lanuti on EP Podcast. “It came as a great surprise.”

At 19, Murphy is the second-youngest player on the team. She is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, but is taking a year while she devotes herself to her game. One of eight first-time Olympians who will compete for the Americans, who captured the gold medal in 2020 and that have captured medals six times since 1998 when women's hockey was introduced.

>>> Evergreen Park's Abbey Murphy's Grit Leads To Olympic Stage

The Mother McAuley graduate has already made an impression on her teammates, whom she considers idols.

“I still think about it every day,” she said. “They’ll mess around with me, but it’s all in fun. I’m friends with them. They’re leaders, and I never take that for granted. They’re the best role models I can get.”

Sadly, the 2022 Winter Olympics will be played in an empty arena because of COVID-19 concerns, but Murphy has grown accustomed to the uncertainty of playing hockey during the pandemic.

>>> Beijing-Bound: Chicago-Area Athletes Headed To Winter Olympics

“I did start to cry when I found out that my family couldn’t come,” Murphy told EP Podcast. “It was very heartbreaking because I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Viewing times this week for Team USA Women’s Hockey:

Thursday, February 3 vs. Finland @ 7:10 a.m.
Saturday, February 5 vs. Russia @ 7:10 a.m.

Mayor Kelly Burke is encouraging Evergreen Park residents to fly the American flag in support of Abbey and her teammates. The Olympic Flag is now flying at the Village Hall.

“I know they’ll be cheering me out loud in my dad’s garage,” Murphy said.