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

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Abbey Murphy’s introduction to ice hockey wasn’t the most glamorous after she was forced to push puck buckets around a local ice rink until she learned to skate.

But eventually, after being taught to roller blade by a neighbor while growing up in Evergreen Park, Murphy developed her game, hoping it might one day lead to a bigger stage. Now at age 19, Murphy is the second-youngest USA Hockey player to be named to the women’s Olympic team, which will make its way to Beijing for the upcoming winter games.

Murphy, who is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, was officially named to the Olympic team last weekend. She is 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.

Murphy is taking a redshirt this season at Minnesota while devoting herself to her game and has quickly made a name for herself on the Olympic team while trying to soak the entire experience in for the first time.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now than doing this with my teammates,” Murphy recently told the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. “It’s been a heck of a ride so far.”

So far, so good for Murphy, who played travel hockey for the Chicago Mission before her game grabbed the attention of USA Hockey officials, who determined she would make a strong addition to the women's Olympic team.

"Murph's a player who brings a tremendous amount of speed and skill to the game," Team USA coach Joel Johnson told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "When she's got the puck, she's a dynamic player, she's deceptive. She can create offense for herself, which is not always common. She's a young player, so she's still learning how to play without the puck and playing an honest game."

But despite being so new to the women’s team and to the Olympics in general, Murphy has found another local resident to provide her guidance. Palos Heights’ Kendall Coyne-Schofield is the team’s captain and has already seen what kind of determination Murphy brings to the ice.

The experience is much different than pushing puck buckets around the ice of a local rink, where she first learned to play with a grit and determination that has put her on an international stage.

Murphy has impressed the team's captain, Kendall Coyne Schofield, who was a member of USA Hockey's U-19 team when Murphy was an U-12 player for the Chicago Mission. Now, to be on the same squad playing for the same goal, is special.

"To see things come full circle, she's an incredible kid," Coyne Schofield told Patch about Murphy on Thursday. "She works her tail off, she deserves to be here. It just goes to show that if you're willing to put the work in to accomplish your goals and dreams, you can do it and (Murphy) is a prime example of that.

"I know the whole South Side is excited to root her on in these Olympic Games."

See more Winter Olympics coverage on Patch