U.S. women's hockey star Brianna Decker will miss the remainder of the 2022 Winter Olympics following a devastating lower-body injury suffered in the Americans' first game of the tournament, but that doesn't mean she won't still be a crucial part of the squad as the Games continue.
Decker took to Twitter Saturday to update her condition and ensure fans that, while she won't be playing in any more games at these Olympics, she'll still be very much involved as the team looks to defend its gold medal from PyeongChang.
View social media post: https://twitter.com/Bdecker14/status/1490002824863707137
"I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has reached out to me over the last few days," Decker tweeted. "The outreach has been more than incredible and I am truly thankful for each and every text, email, tweet,DM [sic] and phone call. I wish I could answer each and every one of you individually and hope to one day soon. I appreciate all the words of encouragement and support - I truly do.
"I would like everyone to know that I am in good hands and have a [sic] incredible staff that is taking great care of me. Being surrounded by my sisters is exactly where I want and need to be and know that the road to recovery has already begun due to their friendship and the significant love we share as a team. I am excited to remain here with the team and help any imaginable way to help to accomplish the original goal what [sic] we have set out to achieve!
"Thank you to my family here and back home in the USA, and thank you to the fans across the globe cheering us on. We can hear your cheers echoing throughout Beijing. Hand me a clipboard, it’s time to get back to work with my girls. Let’s go USA!"
In their first full game without Decker in the lineup, the U.S. women shut out the ROC by a score of 5-0. Their next game comes Sunday morning against a winless Switzerland team before squaring off against Canada Monday night at 11:10 p.m. ET.