USA-Canada women’s hockey gold final set at Milan Cortina Olympics

The stage is officially set for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games – USA vs. Canada for women’s hockey gold on Thursday night.

Since women’s hockey joined the Olympic program in 1998, only the United States 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 has been Canada that has won four of those six matchups, including the most recent Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

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

While it was a 3-2 victory in 2022 for Team Canada, the USA dominated them, 5-0, to end their preliminary round matches on February 10.

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

TEAM USA WOMEN’S HOCKEY OUTLETS SWEDEN, GOES FOR GOLD MEDAL AT WINTER OLYMPICS

OVERWHELMING OPPONENTS

Since landing in Milan and hitting the ice together, it’s been an onslaught of attacks for Team USA, and virtually nothing from their opponents.

The U.S. has outscored their opponents 31-1 entering Thursday’s game and has scored at least five goals in every game so far.

Since the last game against Canada, Team USA defeated Italy 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Then it was another dominant performance against Sweden in the semifinal round on Monday, 5-0, at the Milan Santagiulia Ishockey Arena.

And it has not only been a few Americans who have contributed to the scoring list, but a total of 15 players who have scored goals. The puck is spread around through players like Alex Carpenter, Coyne Schofield, Laila Edwards, Carolina Harvey and many more.

Momentum couldn’t be higher for this group going into the game they’ve been waiting for since 2022.

Blayre Turnbull of Team Canada shakes hands with players from Team United after the women’s preliminary Group A match between the USA and Canada on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

COOL CANADA

Despite the 5-0 loss to Team USA, this Canadian pack has still been a clear favorite in most of their matches, including a 4-0 final over Switzerland to start their Olympic journey.

A 5-1 win over the Czech Republic and a 5-0 finish over Finland after the loss to the USA had them looking forward to a Germany match in the quarter-finals.

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

TEAM USA PLAYERS TO WATCH: CAROLINE HARVEY

For those who haven’t seen the U.S. women’s hockey games so far in the Olympics, Harvey will be a player that immediately stands out. And those who have been watching usually can’t wait to see Harvey’s switch given the skills that have been on display in Milan.

Harvey, a strong skater with tremendous stick skills and vision as a defensewoman, has drawn 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 No. 1 pick in the PWHL Draft later this year.

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

While there are tons of players to watch for the Stars and Stripes — look out for Edwards, Abbey Murphy and Tessa Janecke — Harvey has been pure fun to watch on the ice.

Caroline Harvey (4) of Team United celebrates with teammates after a first-period goal during the women’s preliminary Group A match between the United States and Canada on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

TEAM CANADA PLAYERS TO WATCH: MARIE-PHILIP POULIN

Canada’s captain has shown grit and determination through injuries in this tournament, battling a right knee injury that kept her out against the USA last week.

But she was needed in the tough match with Switzerland, who buried both team goals in the net to lead the way to the gold medal game.

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

There are a total of 16 players from the 2022 Beijing gold medal roster that have 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 Pakinomist Digital they were prepared 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, and personally it fuels the fire and makes us want to, you know, beat them more than ever.

Alex Carpenter of Team United States and Blayre Turnbull of Team Canada face each other in the first period during the women’s preliminary Group A match between the United States and Canada on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

“I don’t like them either. They’re a respectable competitor, they’re so good, and always give us such a tough game, it’s so back and forth. But when we get into the heat of the moment, we just always struggle and don’t like them.”

Veteran Brianne Knight added, “I think the USA-Canada rivalry will always be there, and no matter how many other countries are dueling in the final game, that USA-Canada thing will always be special.”

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

A similar situation arose in men’s hockey during the 4 Nations Face-off, where tensions between the two countries were certainly heightened last year when President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on the country. But don’t sleep on tensions spilling over into very physical moments between these two teams on Thursday.