Reality hits hard sometimes, and AJ Mleczko could feel it all too well on Saturday when she joined a handful of former Olympic teammates in the 18th annual Stirling Cup all-star game at Lewis Ice Arena in Aspen.
“Any time I have a chance to get together with my teammates and relive some of the best times of my life, I’ll take it,” she said before the game. “I feel it hasn’t been that long. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 20 years. I played in Salt Lake so it’s been 16 years since I played in the Olympics, but physically it sure feels that long.