Last Woman Standing: Picard Uses Olympic Experience To Lead Women's Hockey

There aren’t many books written about second place, runner-ups, or silver medals.

As Harvard women’s ice hockey defenseman and co-captain Michelle Picard skated off the ice of the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, with Team Canada celebrating a game-winning overtime goal right behind her, she certainly was not thinking about the incredible achievement that winning an Olympic silver medal should be considered.

“We train way too hard to come in second, and that’s not the goal,” Picard said. “We always train to win.”

After being part of an airtight American defense that shut out Team Canada out for nearly 57 minutes, Picard, who took a year off from playing at Harvard to train with the United States Olympic women’s ice hockey team, saw the team’s lead evaporate in the final three minutes of regulation before Canada clinched the 3-2 win in overtime.

Despite the loss, Picard has chosen to focus on the excitement of the experience and the lessons she learned from playing at the highest level of women’s ice hockey.

“That game was what we had wanted and prepared for for years leading up to it,” Picard said. “To finally be there was amazing, exciting, but we knew we had a job to do. The fans were great and loud and there was a lot of energy in the building…. It was intense, and a blast to play in. The game didn’t end how we wanted, but the experience is one I’ll never forget.”

Picard, a graduate of The Noble and Greenough School, joined defenseman Josephine Pucci ’15, forward Lindsey Fry ’15, and coach Katey Stone in Sochi. The quartet took the year off from the Crimson to don the red, white, and blue, a feeling that Picard first experienced in the summer of 2010, her first call-up to the national team.

“There was definitely a lot of excitement, a lot of nerves, and it was a whirlwind experience,” Picard said. “My parents were really proud, really happy, and they made plans to go out to Calgary to watch. It was all very new, very exciting; I’d always wanted to play for the national team, that was a dream of mine since I was a little girl…. Wearing a jersey with your country, your colors, is all very exciting.”

Just months later, Picard tasted her first success at the international level, captaining the USA women’s Under-18 team to a gold medal in the 2011 IIHF Women’s World Championship. She followed up that successful spring with call-ups to consecutive senior world championships, grabbing silver in 2012 before earning gold in 2013.

At the same time, Picard was playing out her freshman and sophomore years at Harvard under Stone, the winningest coach in Division I women’s ice hockey history. The Crimson made progress throughout her first two seasons, qualifying for the NCAA tournament and finishing second in the ECAC tournament in 2013, Picard’s sophomore campaign. Those tournament games also represented the Taunton, Mass., native’s final chance to impress before the preliminary rosters for the 2014 Winter Olympics would be announced.

“When I’m playing with the Harvard team, we’re going for a national championships,” Picard said. “It didn’t happen, but the focus when I’m wearing the Harvard jersey is playing the best I can for the team…. You know the Olympics are coming up, the cuts are coming, but it’s almost too hard to think about that, since it’s too big, too far away. It’s easier for me to focus on the task at hand and know that that’s the best preparation for the path ahead.”

Picard was particularly impressive as a sophomore, working as a first-pairing defenseman and getting more involved offensively. She registered four goals and 13 assists, finishing 10th among ECAC defenseman in assists and earning All-Ivy honorable mention.

After losing to Boston College in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, there was no time for Picard to sulk. After spending the summer at the world championships, she was named to the roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics, meaning she would have to forgo a year of college to train for the games.

“My dream since I was eight years old was to win the gold medal at the Olympics,” Picard said. “To get a chance to make that come true had me so excited. My teammates at Harvard were so supportive and so happy for me. I was sad to be missing out with the group of girls that I’d trained so hard with. But knowing that I was going to be able to come back, play out my final two seasons, I think that’s what made it easier.”

After her two weeks in Sochi and a spring full of recovery and travel, Picard began ramping up for her return to Harvard hockey in the summer of 2014. The program had not missed a beat despite the absence of four key figures, finishing second in the ECAC and qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.

Despite being a junior, Picard was named co-captain before the start of the season. Her experience as the gold medal-winning captain of the U-18 team meant that this was not her first time leading such a competitive group, giving the team confidence in her abilities.

“As a leader of the team, I feel a responsibility to pass on the Harvard tradition,” Picard said. “Wearing the Harvard jersey means something, so it’s about making sure the younger players get that as quickly as possible. I also want to play my best to give the team the best opportunity to win.”

The return of Picard and her fellow Olympians helped take the Crimson to new heights during the 2014-2015 season. After a sluggish start, Harvard won 10 regular season games in a row on its way to a share of the ECAC regular season title, upsetting then-No. 1 Boston College on the way. With Picard playing standout defense and providing four assists, the Crimson steamrolled through the ECAC tournament, securing the league-tournament double championship for the first time since 2008.

The NCAA tournament followed, where Harvard routed Quinnipiac, 5-0, before overcoming rival Boston College, 2-1, in the semifinals. Then, an all-too-familiar storyline for the 22-year old Picard: on the cusp of greatness, the Crimson fell just short in a title game loss to hometown favorites Minnesota.

Fast forward to this season, and only one thing is on Picard’s mind: a national championship. The last remaining 2014 Olympian on the team, she has tried to impart knowledge and the right attitude on the younger players around her.

“They’re great examples,” said Stone about Picard and co-captain goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer. “They’ve had a lot of international experience, they work hard, they’re good leaders. Just watch their day-to-day operation and you can learn something from that as well as other kids, our seniors.”

Picard, the sixth pick in the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League draft, is focused on applying the lessons she learned on Team USA to her role as a co-captain and leader for the Crimson.

“The biggest thing that I learned is that every small thing you can do to get better really does make an impact,” Picard said. “The little things on the ice that don’t seem like they affect the play can really change a game…. With the Olympics, the goal was the gold medal, and coming back to Harvard, it was about getting to share that each day, you’re making progress towards that goal. Your goal should be to make progress towards that goal every day.”