Bitter rivals clash as US women's hockey eyes Olympic gold medal in final against defending champion Canada

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

Since women's hockey joined the Olympic schedule in 1998, only the U.S. or Canada have ever won gold. And six of the seven gold-medal games in Olympic history have been between these two countries.

Both teams understand that better than anyone, but it’s been Canada winning four of those six matchups, including the most recent Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022.