Brianna Decker, 6-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, retires from hockey

U.S. women’s national team forward Brianna Decker announced Thursday that she will “hang ’em up” after an accomplished ice hockey career and transition from playing to coaching. Here’s what you need to know:

• Decker, a six-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, has not played since her injury during Team USA’s opening game of the 2022 Olympics, where she broke her leg and tore ligaments in her ankle, which required surgery.
• She thanked her family, friends, teammates, coaches and fans, specifically at the University of Wisconsin, where she spent her collegiate career: “Without you all, women’s hockey wouldn’t be where it is today,” Decker wrote on social media.
• In terms of what’s next for Decker, she said she is back at Shattuck-St. Mary’s girls prep hockey program in Minnesota and has “returned to the spot that helped me blossom as a player and human being; I feel right back at home.”

Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/Z21BJORKGo

— Brianna Decker (@Bdecker14) March 2, 2023

What else Decker said

“Having the opportunity to help young athletes achieve the same goals I did is a passion of mine and I look forward to a long career of being a small part of building the future of this beautiful game I love so much,” Decker said in a post on…