Laila Edwards to Hilary Knight for Olympic final-tying goal is poetic for US on way to gold

MILAN (AP) — Hilary Knight is in her last Olympics, wrapping up a stretch as the face of women's hockey in the United States. Laila Edwards is in her first and could very well be Knight's successor.

The present and future of the sport combined on a spectacular tying goal late in the gold-medal game against Canada. Knight tipped Edwards' shot in with just over two minutes left in regulation, and Megan Keller's overtime goal sent the U.S. home with gold in its beloved 36-year-old captain's swan song at the Games.

"Couldn’t script it any better than that," teammate Rory Guilday said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

It was a storybook ending for Knight, who proposed to American speedskater Brittany Bowe on Wednesday. She acknowledged being more nervous about getting engaged than playing hockey.

Against Canada in the final, the nerves built up as the game went on and the U.S. trailed with time ticking off the clock. Knight did not want to settle for silver in her Olympic finale, and when the play was decided on before the next faceoff she thought: “Yeah, this is our moment. Here we go.”

The puck went to Edwards, and Knight knew she needed to get in front of the net because the defenseman was either going to shoot for a tip or right into the net. Fearing she'd miss again, Edwards aimed at Knight's stick and the veteran star sent the puck spinning through her legs and into the net.

“I knew I took a lot of high shots that game and it wasn’t going my way," Edwards said. "I knew we had a lot of traffic there, and so I get it to the net and Hilary’s there and she’ll take care of it, which she did.”

Edwards called it unbelievable to play a role in Knight's final goal at the Olympics, her 15th to give her sole possession of the U.S. record.

“Just to even be a very small part of what Hilary’s accomplished, I’m so honored,” Edwards said. "And to learn from her every day, it’s just been such a blessing.”

Knight won her second Olympic gold medal to go with three silvers. In many sports, finishing second is a major accomplishment, but for the U.S. and Canada in women's hockey it means a devastating loss in a bitter rivalry.

When the puck went in the net past goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, Knight said to herself, “We’re going to win the game." Now Knight gets to skate off into the sunset a champion again.

“I’ve said this is my last Games," Knight said. “I’ve had a heck of a week personally. It’s been an incredible ride. I have to soak this all in.”

Edwards is, too, with her family in attendance, but she's just 22 and should have many more Olympics ahead of her. That's the part that excites Knight as she passes the torch to Edwards and the next generation of Americans.

“Laila is just such a special person and means so much to this group and I’m so excited that everybody got to see her unleash her talents on the world stage,” Knight said. “It’s only fitting that there’s more of that to come with her.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Kendall Coyne, left, and United States' Hilary Knight celebrate after victory ceremony for women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

United States' players celebrate after a women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Hilary Knight, second from left, celebrates after scoring a goal against Canada during the third period of the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

United States' Hilary Knight (21) celebrates with Laila Edwards (10) after Knight deflected a shot by Edwards for a goal against Canada during the third period of the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

United States' Hilary Knight (21) celebrates after scoring an equalizer during a women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues.

U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state.

“Nuclear cooperation can be a positive mechanism for upholding nonproliferation norms and increasing transparency, but the devil is in the details,” wrote Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

The documents raise “concerns that the Trump administration has not carefully considered the proliferation risks posed by its proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia or the precedent this agreement may set.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to questions Friday from The Associated Press

The congressional document, also seen by the AP, shows the Trump administration aims to reach 20 nuclear business deals with nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia. The deal with Saudi Arabia could be worth billions of dollars, it adds.

The document contends that reaching a deal with the kingdom “will advance the national security interests of the United States, breaking with the failed policies of inaction and indecision that our competitors have capitalized on to disadvantage American industry and diminish the United States standing globally in this critical sector.” China, France, Russia and South Korea are among the leading nations that sell nuclear power plant technology abroad.

The draft deal would see America and Saudi Arabia enter safeguard deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. That would include oversight of the “most proliferation-sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation,” it added. It listed enrichment, fuel fabrication and reprocessing as potential areas.

The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to questions. Saudi Arabia is a member state to the IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work but also inspects nations to ensure they don't have clandestine atomic weapons programs.

“This suggests that once the bilateral safeguards agreement is in place, it will open the door for Saudi Arabia to acquire uranium enrichment technology or capabilities — possibly even from the United States,” Davenport wrote. “Even with restrictions and limits, it seems likely that Saudi Arabia will have a path to some type of uranium enrichment or access to knowledge about enrichment.”

Enrichment isn't an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran's program.

The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.

The push for a Saudi-U.S. deal comes as Trump threatens military action against Iran if it doesn't reach a deal over its nuclear program. The Trump military push follows nationwide protests in Iran that saw its theocratic government launch a bloody crackdown on dissent that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more reportedly detained.

In Iran's case, it long has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. However, the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003. Tehran also had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — making it the only country in the world to do so without a weapons program.

Iranian diplomats long have pointed to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials increasingly have made the threat they could seek the bomb as tensions have risen with the U.S.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's day-to-day ruler, has said if Iran obtains the bomb, “we will have to get one.”

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - President Donald Trump stands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his visit to the White House, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)