Bitter rivals clash as USA women’s hockey seeks Olympic gold medal in final against defending champion Canada

The stage is officially set for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games: United States against Canada for gold in women’s hockey on Thursday night.

Since women’s hockey joined the Olympic calendar in 1998, only the United States or Canada have won gold. And six of the seven gold medal games in Olympic history have been between these two countries.

Both teams understand it better than anyone, but Canada has won four of those six matchups, including the most recent Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

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This time, however, it’s Team USA that is the heavy favorite to take home the gold when the puck drops at 1:10 pm ET in Milan.

While it was a 3-2 win in 2022 for Team Canada, the United States dominated them 5-0 to end their preliminary round games on February 10.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at how each team made it to the Olympic finals and, more importantly, what to expect between these bitter rivals.

TEAM USA WOMEN’S HOCKEY RUNS OUT OF SWEDEN AND MOVES TO GOLD MEDAL PLAY AT WINTER OLYMPICS

Overwhelming opponents

Since landing in Milan and stepping onto the ice together, there has been an offensive rush for Team USA, and virtually none from their opponents.

The United States has outscored its opponents 31-1 entering Thursday’s game, scoring at least five goals in every game so far.

Since that last game against Canada, Team USA defeated Italy, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. Then on Monday he had another dominant performance against Sweden in the semifinal round, 5-0, at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Stadium.

And it hasn’t just been a few Americans who have contributed to the scoreboard, but a total of 15 players who have scored goals. The puck is distributed through players such as Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey and many more.

The momentum couldn’t be greater for this group entering the game they’ve been waiting for since 2022.

COOL CANADA

Despite the 5-0 loss to Team USA, this Canadian group remains a clear favorite in most of their games, including a 4-0 final win over Switzerland to begin their Olympic journey.

Then a 5-1 win over Czechia and a 5-0 finish over Finland after the loss to the United States had them looking towards a showdown with Germany in the quarterfinals.

It was a 5-1 finish for Team Canada, who took care of their business before having a tougher time against Switzerland in the semi-final. But the match was a tight 2-1 victory for Canada as they returned to the gold medal match with a chance to defend their 2022 title.

TEAM USA PLAYER TO WATCH: CAROLINE HARVEY

For those who haven’t watched the US women’s hockey games so far in the Olympics, Harvey will be a player that immediately stands out. And those who have followed him generally can’t wait to see Harvey’s changes, considering the skill he has shown in Milan.

Harvey, a strong skater with tremendous stick skills and vision as a defenseman, has received praise from the men’s hockey team, including Matthew Tkachuk. Harvey is only 23 years old and still a senior at Wisconsin, making her the clear favorite for the number one pick in the PWHL Draft later this year.

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Harvey leads all players with nine total points in the tournament, including an Olympic-high seven assists. He has scored two goals for a total of nine points. She also has a plus-minus of +14 to lead the tournament.

While there are tons of players to watch for the Stars and Stripes (keep an eye out for Edwards, Abbey Murphy, and Tessa Janecke), it’s been pure fun to watch Harvey on the ice.

TEAM CANADA PLAYER TO WATCH: MARIE-PHILIP POULIN

Canada’s captain has shown bravery and determination through injury in this tournament, battling a right knee injury that kept her out of the match against the United States last week.

But she was needed in the tough matchup against Switzerland, burying both of the team’s goals in the net to lead the way to the gold medal match.

While Canada’s roster has been debated since head coach Troy Ryan left some of the country’s solid young talent at home, it has been veterans like Poulin who have set the tone even after the loss to the United States.

There are a total of 16 players from the Beijing 2022 gold medal roster who returned in 2026 for Team Canada.

TIME TO FIGHT?

It’s no secret that these two teams don’t like each other, but Team USA wasn’t afraid to talk about the tension even months before the Games.

Several stars on the team told News Digital that they were willing to drop the gloves if necessary against Team Canada if the situation arose.

“They don’t like us very much,” Harvey said in October 2025. “So, it’s more motivating than anything else and, personally, it fuels the fire and makes us want to, you know, beat them more than ever.”

“I don’t like them either. They are a respectable competitor, they are very good and they always give us a very tough game, there is a lot of back and forth. But when we get to the heat of the moment, we always fight and we don’t like them.”

Veteran Hilary Knight added: “I think the rivalry between the United States and Canada will always be there and no matter how many other countries face each other in the final match, that rivalry between the United States and Canada will always be special.”

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These two teams have feuded in the past, including one of the most iconic fights in women’s hockey history in 2013 in a pre-Olympic exhibition game, where 10 major fights were dealt after every position player on the ice dropped their gloves and fought.

A similar situation occurred in men’s hockey during the 4 Nations showdown, where tensions between the two countries undoubtedly increased last year when President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on the country. But don’t miss the tensions that will spill over into very physical moments between these two teams on Thursday.

News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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