William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles U.S. Women’s National Team and University of Wisconsin defenseman Laila Edwards ahead of the 2025 Rivalry Series opener against Canada at Rocket Arena in Edwards' hometown of Cleveland.

Laila Edwards says it’s always special when the United States and Canada women’s national hockey teams face each other, but the opening game of the 2025 Rivalry Series on Thursday will be extra special for her.

The game is at Rocket Arena (7 p.m. ET; NHLN) in downtown Cleveland, about 8 miles from the Cleveland Heights home of the 21-year-old defenseman, who could become the first Black woman to play hockey for the United States when the O

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