Mighty Michelsen quits Black Sticks
Black Sticks captain Stacey Michelsen has retired from international hockey.
The midfielder amassed a record 296 caps for the national team over 12 years.
Michelson, 30, contested three World Cups and Olympic Games, as well as three Commonwealth Games where she earned bronze, silver, and gold medals.
The proud Northlander was also the 2011 International Hockey Federation women’s young player of the year, and New Zealand player of the year in 2018 and 2019.
Michelsen is looking forward to being able to spend more time with friends and family with plans to get married next year after having to delay her wedding to attend the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Michelsen has been one of the most dominant players in world hockey for many years with a remarkable ability to eliminate multiple defenders with her breath-taking runs.
Michelsen listed her career highlights as playing her first Olympic Games in 2012, and winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 on the Gold Coast.
Her lowlights included two frustrating fourth place finishes at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
She scored 35 goals for the Black Sticks but listed her goalscoring prowess as a weakness of her game although as a specialist defender she was not expected to see that much goal-scoring action.
Michelsen said she was mulling over the decision to retire for a while. ‘‘Tokyo was always definitely a goal of mine,’’ Michelsen says. ‘‘But also something that I thought that afterward, I would probably step away.’’
‘‘I am also extremely lucky to have a job that I love, with a law
‘‘Stacey has been one of most dominant players in the international game for a decade.’’
Graham Shaw
Black Sticks women’s coach
firm that has been incredibly supportive of me while I have been balancing work and hockey over the past few years.
‘‘I am so grateful for this and am looking forward to being able to put more time and energy into my job,’’ the solicitor said.
Meanwhile Michelsen might be understated off the turf, but on it, she is anything but.
‘‘She’s probably the most influential player I’ve had the pleasure of playing with or working with,’’ coach Graham Shawsaid.
‘‘Stacey has been one of most dominant players in the international game for a decade. That is a credit to the talent she possesses, the work ethic she applied every day, and a desire to learn and continuously improve her game,’’ Shaw said.