Meghan Duggan Perseverance And Leadership
Humble, Competitive, Leadership, Respectful, Driven, and about any of another fifty wonderful things came to mind, from anyone I asked about Meghan Duggan. After speaking with her, I came away feeling that not only is the U.S. Women’s Hockey program in great shape if they have players with the character of Meghan, but Women’s sports in general from the next generation of young athletes, have an amazing role model to follow. Meghan was everything and more, than how she had actually been described as.
Her childhood was filled with all sorts of competitive sports like soccer, baseball, hockey, and even basketball one summer mostly playing on boys teams, except hockey, till around 14 years of age, which was the time she entered Cushing Academy for her High School years. The experience was some of the best time she said she ever had in her life, athletically, socially, and academically, as she went in OPEN MINDED, and wanting to be involved in as much as possible besides the hockey program.
Meghan was involved in student government in leadership as a four-year class President, and told me that her advice to anyone who thinks about attending a private school, is to go for it, as it has an opportunity for everyone who has a passion, be it music, science, math, drama, or government for example.
As a youth Meghan had played so many sports, and then continued that as well in High School, so she felt it was vital for young athletes to definitely NOT go for the “ONE SPORT” theory, and should continue playing multiple sports for as long as is feasible. The benefits of avoiding burnout, the additional friendships you’ll make, and the usage of using different muscle zones in the body always kept her healthy, and hungry to keep achieving great results.
In College, playing for 1980 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Mark Johnson, and the Wisconsin Badgers was amazing she said, and anytime they played the Minnesota Gophers, it was always special. . Meghan was fortunate to have won 3 National Championships in her career at Wisconsin, and each one was so special to her. Freshman year they won the title 4-1 against Minnesota-Duluth, playing in Lake Placid, the site where Coach Johnson had won the Gold Medal. Her second title came two years later against Mercyhurst 5-0, but this time the game was played in her hometown of Boston in front of family and friends. This one was also special as her best friend Erika Lawler; another Massachusetts kid went out with a title in her senior year. Her third title came in her final year of eligibility in 2011, defeating Boston University, 4-1 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
That season Meghan won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the nations best player. The award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier-Sandt, a four-year varsity letter winner and All Ivy League honoree for the Princeton University women’s ice hockey team from 1981 through 1986. She passed away in February of 1990 at the age of 28 from a rare blood disease.
Wearing the Red, White & Blue is something she said that never gets old, and remembers all the details of that first time, from the lights in the locker room, to the walkout to the ice, and still has that burning desire to throw on the USA sweater any possible time she can, but more on that in a moment. The whole Olympic experience from the opening ceremony to the camaraderie that goes on with other athletes from all over the world, is something that Meghan said was just kind of mesmerizing. Walking out in your country’s gear with all the music, and cheering, colors, and lights is a life changing moment, and a deep sense of pride for all of the hard work you put in to get there. She put it best when she said that the Games of the Olympics are a celebration of everyone’s determination to get there, and the World Coming Together In Peace.
Hockey has been good to Meghan, and taken her all over the world for competition, but a few other great moments she has had the honor bestowed upon her, were to throw some opening pitches at Fenway Park, and drop the puck at a Boston Bruins game in front of people who love Boston like she loves Boston. People who appreciate hard work, appreciate their athletes, and appreciate other Bostonians.
It’s 2014 and the United States sends the puck down into the Canadian end of the ice, trying to secure the Olympic Gold Medal into the open net, and the hockey gods decided to have a little fun, by having the little black biscuit of rubber, stop right next to the goal post, and set up what would be an agonizing few minutes for the squad. Canada went on to tie the game, and then win the Gold in overtime. Losing the Gold stung, , but Meghan’s message to her teammates was that she was extremely proud of them, for the way they played and competed in that overtime, after facing such a devastating blow of that puck wavering all over the place on its journey down the ice towards the wide open net. She told them to remember the journey, and she is very proud of her Silver Medal, and being an American Ice Hockey Player, and welcomes the opportunity to try and pursue winning the elusive Gold Medal in South Korea 2018. Fast forward to 2018 and Meghan’s leadership skills have led her to standing on the podium with a smile that just won’t go away as she accepts her Gold Medal and listens to her anthem with a group of women that just would not be denied.
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