Baggot: Jack of All Trades

MADISON, Wis. -- Britta Curl performs so many vital tasks on behalf of the Wisconsin women’s hockey team that a recent request from her coach might seem like an imposition.

“I’ve been trying to get her to sing the National Anthem before one of our games,’’ Mark Johnson said.

Curl has a panoramic skill set that includes writing lyrics, singing her own songs and playing multiple instruments, so it’s understandable why Johnson would want put her under such a spotlight.

“I’m watching ‘The Voice’ one night and I’m sitting there thinking ‘Britta could be out there,’’’ he said, referring to a popular network TV show where largely unknown musicians compete for $1 million. “She’s got a wonderful voice.’’

The thing is, though, Curl already has a lengthy to-do list where the Badgers are concerned, tasks that seemingly take precedence over her ability to carry a pregame tune.

Curl is a rare two-time captain for UW – one of four going back to the debut of the program in 1999 – who currently oversees a roster that includes 13 underclassmen, one of the youngest of the Johnson Era, which began in 2002. It’s a leadership role that requires a certain personality – an awareness, a confidence, an ability to read the dressing room – and Curl seems to have it in abundance.

“She could have been a captain all her years, even as a freshman,’’ said good friend and former UW teammate Maddie Posick. “She makes everyone else better. That’s a gift that not a lot of people have.’’

Sophomore defender Caroline Harvey plays alongside Curl at UW and has skated with her on multiple editions of the U.S. women’s national team. 

“Her presence is always felt whatever room she walks into,’’ Harvey said. “I love being her teammate. She’s always positive, always carries herself so professionally.

“She has a calm voice in the locker room. She knows exactly what to say when it’s needed in the right moment.’’

Over the course of 171 career college games, Curl has paced Wisconsin in a variety of categories, from glamour stats like goals and plus-minus to greasy ones like blocked shots. She leads the team in plus/minus with a +47 rating, ranks second in blocks with 38 and ranks third in scoring with 50 points. 

Curl has never led UW in scoring in a single season and has never been chosen to the all-Western Collegiate Hockey Association first team, but all that could change in her final college go-round. She’s eighth in the nation with 50 points and sixth with 32 assists. Overall, she ranks among the top 15 point-getters in program history with 168 and is situated among the top 10 goal-scorers with 82.

Look closely and you’ll see that Curl has a resume worthy of the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best women’s player at the college level. Johnson has coached five, so he knows what to look for.

Johnson said he’d put Curl in the same company as Kazmaier recipients Sarah Bauer (2006), Jessie Vetter (‘09), Meghan Duggan (’11), Brianna Decker (’12) and Ann-Renee Desbiens (’17) as well as the legendary Hilary Knight.

“I think you have to,’’ he said. “They all made players around them better. They held them accountable. Her style has some similarities. You watch people gravitate towards her. She does it by example.’’

The ultimate measuring stick of success at Wisconsin is its record seven NCAA championship banners that hang from the rafters at LaBahn Arena. Not only has Curl played for three of those title-winners – 2019, ’21 and ’23 – she’s never been part of a loss in a national tournament game (11-0) and is vying to become the only player in Division I women’s hockey history to earn four rings.

“Obviously, it’s crossed my mind,’’ Curl said of adding another oversized piece of jewelry to her collection. “I try not to think too far ahead.’’

With good reason. The WCHA is the most potent women’s league in the nation, where member schools have won 19 of the 22 national crowns dating back to 2001. The Badgers are currently situated third in the national rankings behind Ohio State (one NCAA title) and Minnesota (six) and their only home loss this season came at the hands of Minnesota-Duluth (five).

“No matter how it turns out,’’ Curl said of her UW experience, “I’ve done the things I wanted to do here. I’ll walk away proud of how it turned out.’’

Curl is more than a musician, more than an Olympic-caliber athlete, more than a role model for a dynastic program.

She will graduate in May with a degree in kinesiology, the first major step toward becoming a physician like her mother Gretchen and aspiring doctor like her older brother Byrne. She said she may devote her summer to taking the Medical College Admission Test “while everything fresh in my brain.’’

Later this year, Curl will get married to Andrew Salemme, a former Wisconsin wrestler from Wauwatosa who proposed last spring while on a training run for an Ironman race. The wedding is scheduled for Sept. 7 in Curl’s hometown of Bismarck, North Dakota.

“I told him to wait after I graduated, but he said he couldn’t wait that long,’’ she said.

Curl, known as a cerebral winger, also has her eye on joining the 16 other former Badgers currently playing in the new Professional Women’s Hockey League as well as a berth on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

It would not be Curl’s first experience with the Games. She redshirted during the 2021-22 college season in order to train exclusively with the USWNT. She wound up being cut only to be summoned to Beijing, China, as an injury replacement. She was in the midst of being processed when she tested positive for COVID, turning a potential adventure into a nightmare.

“She took it way better than I did,’’ Curl’s father Bill said. “She said, ‘It wasn’t meant to be.’

“I was crushed. That’s been her dream since she was 10 years old. To get that close and have it snatched away at the very, very last minute and to just be OK with that, it was incredible. She just went on with life.’’

Said Posick: “I think her faith played a big role in that. She’s right there. She’s so close. But now isn’t the time for her.’’

Johnson can relate to what Curl experienced. He was an Olympic hero with the Miracle on Ice outfit in 1980 but not before he was cut leading up to the ’76 Games. He found out over Sunday dinner when his late father Bob – the UW coach who headed the U.S. team in Innsbruck, Austria – gave him the news.

“Deep down it hurts,’’ Johnson said, “but now what do I do tomorrow to move forward?’’

Curl took a similar approach.

“She sees the big picture,’’ Johnson said, “so when something like that comes around, it stings, but she’s able to handle it.

“If she ends up making the Olympic team one day, the path to get there was hard. There’s not a lot of traffic on the extra-mile highway.’’

Curl loves to be tested regardless of the activity. Asked about difficulty of combining med school dreams with a high-level hockey career, she offered a mature, uncommon take.

“I don’t want to do something that’s easy,’’ she said. “I find more fulfillment when I’m challenged.

“I love the process. I love working toward a goal. That’s why I love hockey so much. It’s not easy. It’s one of the hardest sports you’ll probably play.’’

Curl credits her parents for building a strong foundation beneath her and her three siblings, including brother Cullen and sister Brenna.

“They did a good job kind of leaving things up to us,’’ Britta said. “They didn’t really baby us or try to soften the blow. They kind of let us figure things out for ourselves, which I appreciate because now I think I’ve learned a lot of those skills. I also think that the last four or five years here I’ve learned a lot just getting through a lot of adversity. I wouldn’t say that I’ve had the toughest life, but if (challenging) things did come, I’d be ready to take them on.’’

Curl has long had a do-it-yourself streak, going back to her days as a toddler.

“She has always wanted to do things for herself and prove she could do it,’’ Gretchen said.

“She’s always been stubborn and independent,’’ Bill said.

Harvey said the best lesson she’s learned from Curl is balance. Don’t get too high when things are going well. Don’t get too low when adversity comes to life.

Harvey said Curl was at her motivational best last January when the Badgers shockingly lost five straight games – all to top-10 opponents – and were outscored 14-2.

“I remember that we were all pretty down and it was frustrating,’’ Harvey said. “She kept leading by example, working very hard even when things weren’t going our way. She was able to see through all that was going on. She pushed through and pushed the team through.

“Her work ethic is like no other I’ve seen. It’s incredible to see what she’s done for us.’’

It says a lot about Curl that her favorite storyline from her time at UW involves a teammate who fought through obstacles.

Cami Kronish was a goaltender who redshirted and played sparingly during her first four seasons with the Badgers. But she stuck with it, became the starter as a senior last season and was voted Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Frozen Four after a 31-save shutout of Ohio State in the championship match that Wisconsin won 1-0.

“She’s always been an awesome teammate and I don’t think people really realize how tough she had to be to go through that,’’ Curl said.

Posick said her friend takes an authentic approach to everything she does.

“Everyone is important to her,’’ she said of Curl. “She wants to know things about you and she’s genuine when she asks those questions.

“She has so many good things about her that she could definitely just be a jerk and people would have to put up with her because she’s amazing at everything she does.’’

Curl plays the piano, guitar and accordion and mentioned an affinity for Jon Bellion, a singer, songwriter and rapper from New York. The first time Harvey heard Curl sing, “I was very amazed,’’ she said.

You can find Curl on YouTube as well as Instagram, where some 3,800 followers (@brittybrittybangbang) can get access to her musical creations such as “Here I Am’’ and “The Last Kid to Go.’’

Curl was a sophomore in high school when she visited the UW campus and became enamored with the whole operation. Her time in Madison has been triumphant and fulfilling.

“I think Wisconsin has been amazing for her,’’ Gretchen said. “The support that they get from the university, the community and the fans is incredible. She couldn’t imagine a better place.’’

Britta sings the praises of all those she’s encountered.

“I’m surrounded by great people and resources,’’ she said. “I’ve done my best.’’