SALEM, N.H. – Hockey phenom Caroline “K.K.” Harvey may have had a whirlwind of a year, but it hasn’t stopped her from acknowledging her roots and her hometown community that’s supported her over the years.
Harvey, 23, of Salem, N.H., met with fans at TSR Hockey/Lacrosse during a special signing on Saturday.
Harvey is an Olympic gold medalist, three time NCAA National Champion and the 2026 Professional Women’s Hockey League’s No. 1 draft pick.
But she brought it back to where it all began, to a store where she grew up getting her equipment from when she was young.
“I’ve been coming here since I was little, and it’s always a special place to come back to with great people,” Harvey said. “It’s what makes it the special place it is, and I love it here.”
TSR owner Brendan Sheehy Jr., said he remembered her coming to the store when she was a child. He’s watched as her career has skyrocketed and blossomed since her early playing days to become “the best female hockey player in the world,” he said.
“She has so much going on in her life and wanted to be here,” Sheehy said. “She’s a better person than a hockey player. And that’s saying a lot.”
On Saturday, Harvey met with fans, some who woke up at 4 a.m. and traveled as far as Troy, N.Y., to be there.
Others, like Christina DiSalvo, of Derry, N.H., had a closer commute. But all wanted a chance to interact with the superstar defender, saying it was “amazing” to have an Olympian so close to where she calls home.
Lisa Tsaur, of Lexington, said it was a “wish fulfilled” to see Harvey in person as someone who loves women’s hockey.
Harvey has seen the Southern New Hampshire community embrace all stages of her career.
Harvey and her family moved to Salem several years ago after stops in nearby Pelham and Groton. Salem quickly became home.
She played a few years for the Top Gun Hockey program at the Icenter in Salem when she was younger. She donated some of her equipment when the Salem High girls hockey team was getting started.
“It’s been phenomenal,” she said. “Coming back home and the support, it’s off the charts. I really feel the love and it means a lot because Salem’s a special place to me and will always have a special place in my heart.”
It’s not lost on her that she’s helped put the town on the map again, something Olympic gold medalist Katie King did nearly three decades ago as an integral piece with the 1998 U.S. women’s Olympic team. That team, and its historic gold-medal win, sparked the growth of the sport.
Harvey, and the 2026 gold team, are doing the same.
“I hope to represent this area well,” Harvey said. “It’s my goal to always come back home and know where my roots are.”
Young girls went up to Harvey during the signing and told her about the teams they played for. Harvey asked them questions about how long they’ve played and what position.
“These moments, it’s bigger than yourself, bigger than the teams you’re on,” Harvey said. “It’s really for these little girls and for them to look up and hopefully be like, I want to be like her one day.’”
Harvey said she appreciates meeting people from all over and how the city of Vancouver has already embraced her only being a Goldeneye in less than two months.
But the support of the local community hits different for her as she described it as being “such a special thing” throughout her collegiate career, Olympic runs and accomplishments with Team U.S.A.
Now, they are ready to support her professional chapter.
“These people have been through it all, like the whole journey,” Harvey said. “Nothing really beats it, coming back home and then you feel that support even more so in person.”
It’s been a non-stop summer for Harvey since being drafted in mid-June. From training to appearances and battling it out on “Celebrity Family Feud,” there hasn’t been much downtime these last six weeks filled with “a lot of phenomenal experiences,” she said.
“It’s been crazy, but in the best way,” Harvey said.
“What’s been the most special about it is doing it with the teammates that you won gold with,” she added.
She won gold in February and capped off her career at the University of Wisconsin with her third NCAA National Championship title soon after. Those “phenomenal experiences” ramped up after she was drafted into the PWHL in June.
Her mother Martha Harvey was seen holding onto her daughter’s arm in the moments leading up to the draft. She said it was instant tears for her mom when her name was announced, but leading up to the moment, something else was on their minds.
Harvey said she wanted to make sure to “do it right” if she was the first to walk across the stage. Harvey was predicted to go first in the draft, but until her name was called, she was planning what she would do with her mom.
“Don’t trip,” Harvey said with a laugh. “That was the one concern.”
“She’s like, ‘Make sure you’re wearing those heels that you do not fall, set a good example,’” she recalled her mother telling her.
“That was kind of what was going through my head, but the actual moment was so special,” Harvey explained.
She was joined by close family, friends and coaches from early on in her playing career at the draft.
Harvey said she’ll remember all her teammates, Wisconsin and Team USA’s draft moments, but close friend Laila Edwards’ was one she will remember forever.
Harvey sat next to Edwards’ and her family during the event. Edwards, who was selected fourth overall by San Jose, hugged Harvey’s mom first before her own mother in which all the families shared a laugh afterward.
“I made sure to stick around and see her get drafted and knew it was going to be early on,” Harvey said as she watched from the side of the stage. “She’s (Edwards) such a special player and person.
“Honestly, it was probably a more special moment than me getting called as it just meant so much.”
Harvey has a busy few months scheduled before jet-setting west to Vancouver and gearing up for her professional debut. She said she’ll be doing as much as possible in the gym and on the ice to be in the best position to help her new team win a Walter Cup.
She will train in the area and will head to Blaine, Minn., and Plymouth, Mich., for Team USA Women’s Hockey training camps.
The IIHF Women’s World Championships will also take place November this year instead of April. She said she’ll use the tournament to build momentum before the PWHL season starts.
With all the traveling and training, Harvey has taken any downtime to journal her experiences, honing in on little moments to reflect on her own on what’s transpired this year.
The humble defender is thinking more about the future of the sport when she steps onto the ice for the Goldeneyes in her first game.
She said there is a lot of excitement she feels along with her family and close friends, but the moment is more for what it will hopefully spark in the next generation.
“It’s cool for little girls, all these little girls around for them to look up and be like, ‘OK, there’s a sustainable league that I can play pro hockey now. I can dream big, I can be that,’” Harvey said. “I’m even more excited for them and what they have down the road, those opportunities.”