MILAN — It's the moment we've all been waiting for: USA women's hockey vs. Canada in the gold-medal game of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Americans and Canadians have clashed in six of the seven Olympic gold-medal matches since women's hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998. Canada has walked away with the gold five times, compared to only two for Team USA, but the red, white and blue have an advantage heading into the final Thursday, Feb. 19.
The U.S. women have won seven consecutive games against Canada, dating back to the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship, where the Americans won 4-3 in overtime. Team USA swept Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series for the first time in tournament history and shut out Canada 5-0 during the preliminary round, marking the first time the Canadian women haven't got on the score sheet in Olympic history.
BEST USA WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM EVER? Monique Lamoureux says 'absolutely'
Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin wasn't in the lineup for the Feb. 10 preliminary matchup due to injury, but will look to lead Canada to another gold medal. Poulin is up to 20 career Olympic goals, surpassing fellow Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser's previous all-time Olympic goal-scoring record of 18 goals.
