Just a few weeks ago, only a handful of members of the U.S. women's hockey team were expected to attend the ESPYs, the annual awards show honoring the year's biggest athletes, teams and moments in sports.
By Wednesday afternoon, many more of the reigning Olympic gold medalists were swapping jerseys for gowns inside a midtown Manhattan penthouse. Champagne was flowing. Hair and makeup artists buzzed around the room. Defenseman Mariah Keopple, who also works as a stylist, helped teammates put the finishing touches on their looks before they headed to the awards show, airing live Wednesday night from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.
It wasn't exactly the typical pregame routine for one of the world's best hockey teams. And none of it would have happened without an unlikely benefactor: Flavor Flav.
The Public Enemy legend learned last week from U.S. captain Hilary Knight that only a handful of players had been invited to the ESPYs, where Team USA is nominated for Best Team following its dramatic gold-medal victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics. For Flavor Flav, the solution was simple: "I got you."
That promise quickly snowballed.

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