She is the most accomplished female ice hockey player in the history of the United States, if not the world.
But even after a decade of competitive play at the international level, Cammi Granato remains hungry for more.
Granato, the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. national team, still has a few goals in mind.
Like defending the Americans' gold medal in the second Olympic women's ice hockey tournament, to be held in Provo and West Valley City in February 2002.
Granato also wants to help the United States win its first gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Women's World Hockey Championships, something it could do next spring in Minnesota. The Canadians have beaten the Americans in each of the previous six World Championship gold-medal games.
Granato does not rule out competing in the 2006 Winter Games, although she will be a month away from her 35th birthday then.
And she desperately wants to be among the pioneers in an American women's professional hockey league, if the National Hockey League or some other entity initiates a pro league before her playing days are over.
"I thought after Japan (1998 Winter Games) I might be done, but I'm just having so much fun at it," Granato said during a recent visit to Salt Lake City with other Olympians.
"I'm taking it a day at a time. I know I really want to go throughout the Salt Lake City Games, and who knows what will be in place after that? I feel I have a lot more to give the game."
At age 29, Granato is still at the top of that game.
She led the U.S. Women's Select Team in scoring last year with 17 goals and 25 assists. She is the only player to have been a member of all six U.S. teams that have competed in the IIHF's World Championships.
Since the U.S. team won the first Olympic gold medal in women's ice hockey in Nagano, defending the gold here has been not just a desire but a responsibility for Granato and her teammates.
"We're going to be the favorites," she acknowledged. "It puts more pressure on us. It'll be a real challenge."
But Team USA won't have to wait long to find out if it can beat arch-rival Canada in The Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, where all but the gold medal game of the 2002 women's tournament will be played.
For five days this November, the top four women's hockey teams in the world will compete in Provo in the Four Nations Cup, a tune-up for both the Olympics and the 2000-2001 international hockey season.
"It'll definitely add another element because it'll be here. And also, when those teams compete, nothing is spared," Granato said of Canada, Finland and Sweden.
"I mean, you go out there and play hard. There's a lot of pride on the line. Every game against those teams is a big game."
In the decade since the first women's World Ice Hockey Championship was held in 1990, Canada and the United States have dominated the sport. In the series between the two, there have been few blowouts. However, the only major tournament victory for the U.S. team over the Canadians came in the '98 Winter Games.
The last time they met, in Ontario two months ago, Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime in the title game of the 2000 Women's World Championships.
"When you have two countries like Canada and the U.S. that are so rich in hockey development, I would say Canada more so, you're going to have enough competition so that it's tough for one to be dominant over the other," Granato said. "There's lots of good players."
While the Winter Games may be of more importance to the casual fan, Granato feels a win in next spring's World Championships could be more valuable.
"I think it's more important from the standpoint of the growth of hockey" in the United States, Granato said. "It's a chance for people in the Midwest to get more into the game. We haven't played too many games around the country."
Girls' and women's hockey, much like girls' and women's soccer, has taken off in recent years with the success of the women's national teams.
Currently, there are 1,406 girls' and women's hockey teams registered with USA Hockey, up from 1,268 a year ago. And this year's total could climb with the addition of women's summer leagues. There are 24,328 boys' youth teams (17 and under) registered this year.
But professional hockey is a huge leap for the sport to take. If Granato does play pro hockey in the United States, she could be one of the oldest players in the new league by then.
The National Hockey League has studied the possibility of starting a women's pro league and thus far has decided against it.
Chuck Menke, spokesman for USA Hockey, said a women's pro league could start up within the next 10 years, but even that may be optimistic.
"I don't think that the talent pool would be deep enough to support a fully operational league that would be comparable to what you see in the women's NBA," Menke said.
"I think the people who are close to the sport and have been looking at the potential for such a league want to do it right the first time rather than to hastily put something together and have it not be successful."
Granato is hoping the 2002 Winter Games will spark more interest in the women's game in the United States. She hopes a women's pro league will start up shortly after the Games.
If not, Granato said she may try to play in a women's "professional" league in Canada, which is professional in name only — the players do not get paid.
But there are other things on Granato's wish list. Getting married and starting a family are right up there. If that opportunity comes along after 2002, Granato is likely to take it. But even that might not keep her from playing in the 2006 Games, she said.
E-MAIL: zman@desnews.com