As the Olympics made their way to the final championships and closing ceremonies, Americans and Canadians alike were on the edge of their seats waiting to see who would steal gold in the men’s and women’s hockey finals. The USA-Canada hockey rivalry began with their first men’s match-up at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, where Canada defeated the USA for gold. While early competitions established the rivalry, it intensified significantly after the USA defeated Canada at the 1933 World Championship. Later, it developed into a fierce modern rivalry during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in women’s hockey following the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
The USA teams taking gold in both the men’s and women’s games was a huge victory for the Americans playing the game, watching from the stands, and even sitting in front of their TVs thousands of miles away.
For the women’s team, this victory was their second gold medal in the last decade, following their first-place finish at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. However, this classic rivalry began in 1998, when the United States defeated Canada for the first-ever gold medal.
“Over nearly three decades, the Canada-USA rivalry has been among the best in sport, with the two sides in a near-constant battle for women’s hockey supremacy,” The Athletic writer Hailey Salvian said.
On February 19, 2026, the women played a remarkable game that went into an exciting overtime, and ended in a 2-1 Canadian defeat.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine that I’ve had for a very long time, and to now have it come true, it was definitely one of the last things on my list I wanted to check off,” USA player Taylor Heise, who assisted the winning goal, said.
For the men’s team, this victory marked their first Olympic gold medal in 46 years. They took their last gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Finally, in Milan on February 22, after three exciting quarters and a tense overtime, the United States defeated Canada 2–1.
“It’s a dream come true, I love this group, we’ve had so much fun over here, we’ve grinded, we’ve battled, this is some of the best and most fun hockey I’ve ever played,” Team USA hockey player, Connor Hellebuyck, said.
Americans all over the world celebrated these patriotic victories. From the stands, fans erupted with pride, and on social media, posts were buzzing with excitement.
“We’re so proud to be Americans,” USA men’s hockey player Jack Hughes said.
