Rangers hire Hall of Fame U.S. women’s star Angela Ruggiero as a hockey operations adviser

NEW YORK –

The New York Rangers have hired Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero as a hockey operations adviser.

The team announced the addition of Ruggiero on Friday along with several front office changes.

Ruggiero, 43, won four Olympic medals as a defenseman for the U.S. She helped the country win gold at the 1998 Games in Nagano — the first Olympics with women’s hockey — followed by silver in 2002 and 2010 and bronze in 2006.

The Michigan native skated 15 years with the national team, putting up 58 points in 61 international games. Ruggiero was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Rangers also promoted former NHL forward Ryane Clowe to co-senior adviser to the president and general manager Chris Drury and hired retired defenseman Paul Mara as player development assistant.

Andy Hosler was hired as head athletic trainer. Hosler returns to the league after two years at Michigan State to succeed longtime trainer Jim Ramsay, who had worked in that role since the mid-1990s.

Hosler previously spent 14 years with the Nashville Predators, including 2013-21 as their head trainer.