One of Olivia Mucha’s earliest hockey memories is of her two older brothers, Evan and Geoff, strapping her into the net in their driveway and shooting pucks at her, sometimes without pads on.
When she ran inside crying, her parents would say to her, "c’mon, toughen up."
Throughout her life, Mucha has come to embody this sentiment. Despite her brothers’ bullying, a shoulder injury, and a rare heart disease, nothing could keep her from playing hockey.
Off the ice, she is a self-described "generally shy person" who avoids being noticed. During our Skype interview she was soft-spoken, apologizing in advance for mumbling, and chose her words thoughtfully and carefully.