Tara Mounsey, a native of Concord and a US Olympic gold medalist, was announced as an inductee of the US Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Tara Mounsey, a Concord native, Olympic gold medalist, and pioneer for women’s hockey, is set to be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame this December—cementing her place among the sport’s greats.

Mounsey’s story is one of firsts. Growing up in Concord, she skated on the boys’ team at Concord High School because no girls’ team existed at the time. Not only did she keep up, she led the Crimson Tide to the 1996 state championship and became the first female to be named New Hampshire’s Class L Player of the Year.

“For the most part, it was just a way of life for me,” Mounsey said. “I’d grown up playing with that group of boys since I was little, so they accepted me as another player.”

Her trailblazing path didn’t stop there. 

At just 19 years old, Mounsey became a key member of the first-ever women’s Olympic hockey team at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan—where she helped Team USA capture gold. Four years later, she returned to the Olympic stage in Salt Lake City, notching more assists than any other player in the tournament and securing a silver medal.

“It’s really hard to put into words,” Mounsey said of her Olympic experience. “It’s a combination of excitement and relief—relief in the sense of sacrificing so many things along the way to get there and realizing it was worth it. When you win a gold medal, it’s incredible.”

Mounsey also had a stellar collegiate career at Brown University, both as an ice-hockey player and as a field hockey player. She became a two-time All-American during her time at the school, and was named the Ivy League ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year in 1996-1997. She was later honored as a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist for the 1999-2000 season. She wrapped up her Brown career with 70 assists and 48 goals.

Mounsey’s accomplishments came at a time when professional opportunities for women in hockey were almost nonexistent. She considered a third Olympic run but decided it was time to start her career.

“I would have kept on playing if I could, if there was a league,” Mounsey said. “You can’t live off nothing forever. It’s not sustainable.”

Her impact on the game endures well beyond her own playing days. When Mounsey won her first Olympic gold, USA Hockey stats show there were 28,000 registered female players nationwide. Last year, that number swelled to 98,394, a record 5% increase over the previous year. 

Mounsey now lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with her family and works at New England Baptist Hospital in Massachusetts as a nurse practitioner. Mounsey has also served as a medical coordinator for the Boston Celtics for 13 years.

“It’s really fun to stay connected with elite athletes and to help them navigate the injury process,” Mounsey said.

Still, the ice has always called her back. Today she skates in the South Shore Women’s Hockey League and plans to keep skating as long as she can. 

“Hockey has always been a part of my life and remains a part of my life,” she said. “I like how fast it is. I like chatting with my teammates on and off the ice. I’ll play for as long as I can physically play.”

Mounsey will be officially inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec.10 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, alongside Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, Bruce Bennett, and Scott Gomez.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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