Angela Ruggiero/
Ice Hockey
Angela Ruggiero barreled through barriers as the first female defenseman in the Central Hockey League and as the first woman non-goalie to play professional men’s hockey in North America. Ruggiero has contributed to three Olympic-medal winning teams, helping the U.S. earn Olympic gold in 1998, silver in 2002 and bronze in 2006. She recently broke the national team record for most games played for Team USA with 206 appearances. A two-time World Champion, Ruggiero and the U.S. team defended their gold medal in 2009 at the World Championships in Finland, defeating Canada 4-1. Ruggiero helped her team earn gold in 2005 when she scored the tournament-winning goal over Canada in the finals of the 2005 World Championships. She and her brother Bill have been honored with a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame and are the first sibling duo to play pro hockey together. Ruggiero was one of eight U.S. Olympic athletes selected to carry the World Trade Center Flag during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. She received the Top Defenseman Award at 2002 and 2006 Games. In 2004, Ruggiero was ranked one of the Top 16 Female Athletes in the World by ESPN.com and the USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year. Ruggiero is the director of the New York Islanders’ Project Hope, providing young Chinese athletes with access to educational opportunities, as well as the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation. She is the founder and president of an All-American Girls Hockey School as well as director of the nonprofit Teams of Angels Inc, focusing on creating a safer youth sports experience. She has served as an Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play since 2000 and spent the summer of 2004 volunteering in Uganda with Right to Play. Ruggiero speaks regularly to schools and children’s organizations about her experiences in sport and life and authored “Breaking the Ice: My Journey to Olympic Hockey, the Ivy League and Beyond.” (4/09)
For more information on Angela, check out her Web site at: www.angelaruggiero.com.