Meghan Duggan Bio: Beijing Olympics, Wife & NJ Devils

Meghan Duggan is a three-time Olympian, one-time gold medalist, and two-time silver medalist. She has been a professional ice hockey player since 2006 and represented the United States internationally.

The athlete plays forward and has served a few teams in the National Women’s Hockey League. 

However, she retired recently in 2020, citing that she gave fourteen years of her life to professional hockey, and while that has been one of the greatest privileges of her life, she is ready for what life has in store for her next. 

Duggan is the player who left the game better than when she entered it. She fought for wage equality between female and male players during her career. 

Furthermore, in 2017, she announced a boycott of the 2017 World Championship held in Michigan due to unequal pay and support for the women’s ice hockey team.

The Olympian was the hockey team’s captain then and declared that they would continue the boycott unless USA Hockey agreed to their reasonable demands.

This move by the women’s hockey team received national coverage and brought out the issue of the unjust wage gap between men and women. 

A few days later, USA Hockey agreed to meet their demands and the team brought home gold at the World Championship. Not to mention, the entire nation praised Meghan for her bravery and how she never gives up in the face of adversity. 

Before getting into details about the fierce hockey player’s life and career, here are some quick facts about her.

Quick Facts

Meghan Duggan | Early Life, Family, and Education

Meghan Duggan was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, the United States. Her parents are Bob Duggan and Mary Duggan. 

Furthermore, she has two siblings, namely Katelyn Duggan and Bryan Duggan. The athlete shares a very close bond with her brother and sister.

Overall, the hockey player grew up in a relatively average household with loving and supporting parents. It goes without saying that she was a very athletic kid. 

Besides ice hockey, she played soccer, softball, and lacrosse. However, she fell head over heels, madly in love with hockey, and there was no talking her out of it. Likewise, her brother Brian also played hockey growing up.

Since there were minimal programs for girls in ice hockey, the gold medalist mostly played with boys and in the boys league. Nevertheless, she never let the fact discourage or bother her. 

Similarly, Meghan had a great support system at home that motivated her to keep playing and working hard at what she loved. Moreover, she was relentless and gave hockey her undivided attention and complete dedication. 

As a result, her skills improved significantly, and she started receiving recognition for her plays. It wasn’t until high school that Duggan got a chance to play in a proper girl’s ice hockey team. 

Education

The hockey player attended Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, and in no time, she was a star player there. Moreover, Meghan was highly admired for her leadership skills and willingness to do things that others wouldn’t. 

Not to mention, she met many of her future Team USA teammates at the Academy. During her high school career, she was awarded the Bette Davis award, which is given to the best female athlete in her class three times. 

Following her graduation in 2007, the gold medalist committed to playing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There is no telling that she was an outstanding addition to the Wisconsin Badgers women’s ice hockey team. 

Duggan was named to the First Team All-America selection in her senior year. Furthermore, Duggan graduated from college with a degree in Biology. 

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Age, Height, and Weight

The Ice hockey player was born on September 3, 1987. Hence, she is 36 years old as of 2024.

Being a former athlete, she takes great care of her health and diet. Not to mention, she works out on a daily basis. 

As a result, she is quite fit and has a toned physique. Besides that, the gold medalist is 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) tall and weighs 170 lb (77 kg). 

Meghan Duggan | Ice Hockey Career

College Career

Meghan Duggan was a force during her high school period. As a result, many universities had an eye on her from the start.

Therefore, the University of Wisconsin approached her with a National Letter of Intent. Hence, she was amongst the four-player to sign this letter.

Further, this letter ensures student athletes’ commitment to participating in NCAA. Following her sign, she joined the Wisconsin Badgers women’s ice hockey the following year.

In her freshman year, she led freshmen in scoring with 26 goals. Similarly, she ranked second on the team with a total of 52 points.

Not to mention, her 52 points ranked her third amongst the rookies that season. Likewise, she became the first player to win three consecutive WCHA Rookie of the Week honors in Badger history.

Despite her prolific performance in each season, she failed to capture the NCAA championships. Nonetheless, she did win the Patty Kazmaier Award.

This award was given to the top women’s ice hockey player of the NCAA annually.

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Professional Career

Duggan began her professional career in the year 2011. She joined the Boston Blades of the Candian Women’s Hockey League.

Further, she was an instant hit with the team as she won two Clarkson Cups in 2013 and 2015. Each of her seasons was filled with new records being set and broken.

She established the benchmark for many women players in the league to become the best. However, after six seasons with the team, she moved to NWHL.

The NWHL was newly formed during that time. Hence, she played one season with the Buffalo Beauts.

During that season, she got a professional service agreement with Dunkin Donuts. Following her first season in the NWHL, she signed another one-year deal with Boston Pride.

Moreover, this would be her final season as a professional ice hockey player. Hence, after the 2016-17 season, she retired from the competitive scenario.

However, she still played international and national games with the USA national women’s ice hockey team.

National and International Career

IIHF Women’s World Championship

Meghan’s first international game came at the 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Further, she was a member of the USA’s senior women’s team.

During her debut, she saw little playtime. Nevertheless, she captured the opportunity to record her first international assist.

Likewise, Duggan’s effort got her the silver medal in the tournament. Further, her second appearance came in the 2008 tournament, resulting in a gold medal.

Following the successful victory, they reclaimed their throne by winning their second gold medal in the World Championships. 

Additionally, the USA team with Meghan won five more gold medals in the IIHF World Championships. The gold medal came in the year 2011, 2013, and 2015 to 2017.

After the 2017 World Championship, Duggan retired from the international scene. However, she did play her last Olympic in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Olympics

The elite ice hockey forward is a three-time Olympian. Her first Olympics was during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics held in Canada.

That was a very emotional moment for the player as she always dreamt of representing her country on the biggest stage of them all.

Hence, she reclaimed that moment to be filled with mixed feelings. Further, the main competition was between Canada and the USA for the Women’s ice hockey tournament.

These two nations have been in almost every Olympics final. The 2010 Canadian national women’s ice hockey team was powerful.

The Canadian team featured some exceptional defenders and offensive players. Despite the USA team giving their best, they fell to the Canadian team and secured a silver medal.

The dream of Meghan winning gold at the Olympics still remained. Therefore, she gave it all in other second Olympics games, such as the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

However, her and the team’s efforts fell short of the Canadian team’s. Furthermore, by 2017, Duggan had already retired from the international and professional scenario.

Nevertheless, her dream of winning gold still carried on. As a result, despite announcing her retirement, she came back for competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

This was a very iconic moment as they finally broke the curse and won against Canada in the finals to claim their gold medal.

With this victory, Meghan peacefully retired from all forms of competitive ice hockey platforms. As of now, she serves as a manager and player development coach at New Jersey Devils. 

Highlights and Achievements

• One-time gold medalist at the 2018 Winter Olympics
• Two-time Silver Medalist at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics
• Seven-time gold medalist at the IIHF Women’s World Championship from 2008 to 2017
• One-time Silver Medalist at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in 2007
• 2011 Patty Kazaimer Award winner
• Captain of the IIHF Women’s World Championship Team from 2015 to 2017
• Named captain of the 2014 United States Olympic team
• 2011 Sportswoman of the Year finalist
• Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner in 2011
• Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year winner in 2011

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Meghan Duggan | Wedding, Wife, and Kids

The three-time Olympian is married to Gillian Apps. The two were career rivals who later on became lovers for life. 

Apps is a former professional ice hockey player who played for the Canadian National women’s hockey team. She is a three-time Olympian like her better half, but unlike Duggan, she is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. 

While dating, they competed against each other at the 2014 Winter Olympics finals that saw USA and Canada going neck to neck for the Olympic gold medal. In the end, Canada won the game and took home the Olympic gold. 

However, Duggan and Apps did not let the Olympic win and loss affect their relationship. In a podcast, Meghan said,

“We didn’t make it about our relationship, it was about our teams and giving each other space to do what we needed to do, and to know our love was strong enough to regroup on the other side of it all.”

Despite all hardships, the pair made their relationship work and proved their love was stronger than all adversities after tying the knots on September 22, 2018. 

Apps retired from her professional career in 2015. Thereafter, she started working as a coaching staff at the Boston College Eagles women’s ice hockey under Katie King. 

The couple welcomed their first child George Robert Apps-Duggan through Meghan on Feb 29, 2020. Duggan calls the little man her lucky leap year baby.

Furthermore, the two welcomed their second child, Olivia Anne Apps-Duggan, through Gillian on October 18, 2021. Duggan and Apps are absolutely in love and are content with their adorable kids. 

Meghan Duggan | Net Worth, Salary, and Endorsements

The athlete earns most of her wealth through her career in the US Women’s National Team and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).

Her net worth is reportedly estimated at $4 million. 

Furthermore, she also works for a prestigious National Hockey League team, the New Jersey Devils. It is only believable that the exceptional player is being paid her worth in the NHL. 

Besides that, her salary and income details are rather kept private. Moreover, the player must also make good earnings through sponsorships and endorsement deals. 

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Social Media Presence

The gold medalist is quite active on different social media platforms. Hence, she has an Instagram handle with nearly 31.5 thousand followers. 

The Olympian mostly shares her life as a retired professional ice hockey player through her account. In most of her posts, the Olympian can be seen in her hockey attire and in the rink with her teammates.

Besides that, her handle is flooded with adorable pictures of her son, George, and her wife, Gillian. Furthermore, she loves spending time with her parents, siblings, and grandparents. 

Moreover, she is also active on Twitter with about 33 thousand followers. Duggan mostly tweets hockey-related events, news, and highlights. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is the captain of the US women’s hockey team?

After Duggan retired, Kendall Coyne took over as the captain of the US Women’s hockey team. 

Did Meghan Duggan give birth to another baby?

Yes, Meghan welcomed her second child in 2020. However, her wife, Gillian, gave birth to the baby.