American defender Kacey Bellamy, one of the most decorated medallists in American hockey history, today announced her retirement from hockey at the age of 34, leaving the sport behind with a staggering 23 medals to her name.

A Massachusetts native, Bellamy began her career at the University of New Hampshire, captaining the Wildcats in her senior year before joining the Boston Blades of the CWHL in 2010. Bellamy would spend five seasons with the Blades, capturing the Clarkson Cup in 2013 and 2015. Bellamy would remain in Boston but shift leagues in 2015, joining the NWHL’s Boston Pride for two seasons, capturing the Isobel Cup in 2016. After taking the year off in preparation for the 2018 Olympics, Bellamy returned to the CWHL in 2018, winning what would end up being the final Clarkson Cup with the Calgary Inferno in 2019. An unofficial member of the Triple Gold Club, and one of the seldom players to win both the Isobel and Clarkson Cups, Bellamy was a member of the touring PWHPA following the CWHL’s sudden shutdown in 2019.

While still at UNH, Bellamy first joined Team USA at the 2006 Four Nations Cup, her first of eleven appearances at the fall invitational, capturing her first of five Silver medals (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014), winning her first of five (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Gold medals two years later; she also won a lone Bronze in 2013. Bellamy debuted at the World Championships in 2008, winning her first of eight (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) Gold medals out of nine total appearances, only settling once for Silver in 2012. Bellamy debuted at her first of three Olympics in 2010, settling for Silver both in Vancouver and Sochi before helping to backstop Team USA to their first Olympic Gold in twenty years at PyeongChang in 2018. Bellamy retires with 130 caps on the national team, notching 49 points and ranking first all-time for games played by U.S. defenders.

Thanks to her large international medal haul, Bellamy won the IHLC with Team USA nineteen times over her career, her first win at the 2008 World Championships, and final as part of the Rivalry Series versus Canada twelve years later, which marks the last international women’s games played since the pandemic began. We wish Kacey and her family the very best for her retirement and the things to come!

Photo Credit: Springfield Thunderbirds – IIHF – HHOF – IOC