A.J. Mleczko: I started playing hockey at age six, after being on figure skates since I was two. We lived right near a rink, and my father was a hockey coach. When I saw his team playing, I decided that was what I wanted to do. I continued figure skating until I gave it up for good at age nine.

SportsJones: Did you ever catch flak for playing a "boy's game"?

Mleczko: Of course I caught some flak for playing what is traditionally considered a boy's game. I was the first girl at my club to play, and often it was the parents who did not like the idea, maybe because of the roughness. My teammates were generally accepting throughout, possibly because I started at the same time many of them did. It was my opponents who gave me a hard time because they were not used to it.

SportsJones: Who were your idols?

Mleczko: Despite the fact that he had retired by the time I put on my first pair of skates, Bobby Orr was my hockey hero. The Bobby Orr Story was my favorite book, and I loved his old highlight tapes. I grew up playing hockey outside of New York City in Connecticut, so I did watch the Rangers growing up – but I certainly am a Bruins fan! I enjoyed watching Kelly Kisio, probably because he wore number 11.

SportsJones: What was the first thing you did when you found out you made the Olympic team?

Mleczko: When I first made the Olympic team on December 20, 1997, I called my parents who were in Lake Placid with many of the other parents. It was such an incredible release of emotions, ranging from pure joy, to relief, to devastation, realizing that some of your friends had not made it with you.

SportsJones: Many people have compared the women's gold medal to the men's 1980 gold medal.

Mleczko: The comparison of our team to the "Miracle on Ice" team in 1980 is one of the greatest compliments we could get. Although I was only five in 1980, the USA victory over the Russians continues to positively affect the sport of hockey. The dramatic increase in boys playing hockey after 1980 will hopefully be mirrored with girls playing hockey after the Nagano Games last year.

SportsJones: Where's the gold medal now?

Mleczko: I keep the gold medal safely tucked away. Ultimately, I would like to display it wherever I live so that I may look at it every day and appreciate and relive the experience.

SportsJones: Is there one single memory that sticks out about the Olympic experience?

Mleczko: I do not think that there is one single memory that sticks out because it was all such an incredibly unique experience, and we all just tried to remember every moment of it. From walking in the opening ceremonies to the gold medal game and even simple activities like sitting in the dining hall with all the other athletes, every moment was memorable.

SportsJones: In the first few days back at Harvard, did you ever think that coming back to school was the wrong decision?

Mleczko: I never thought that coming back to Harvard to play hockey was the wrong decision. Of course I would come back to get my degree, but people questioned why I would want to play college hockey after the Olympics. In my mind, hockey is still something that I am passionate about, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play Division I College hockey for another year. I had an incredible experience at Harvard, all four years, and I do not regret for one moment coming back to compete in a Harvard jersey.

SportsJones: After playing the University of New Hampshire twice in the postseason in addition to the games in during the regular season, were you tired of playing them?

Mleczko: We were definitely not tired of playing UNH. They are a great team and provided us with great competition. It is a bit reminiscent of the USA-Canada rivalry last year, where we met each other so many times. It is not a matter of getting tired of playing them, but rather the ability of the teams to bring the other to a new level of competition. I think that playing UNH four times this year brought both teams' games to a higher level, and in turn helped women's college hockey.

SportsJones: Is there any way to compare the gold medal with the national championship?

Mleczko: That is a tough question, to compare the two experiences. In most ways, they are similar in that they were both the ultimate achievement for a group of athletes working together. In both scenarios, I was fortunate to be a part of something so special, with such tight bonds between our team members.