With the Olympics underway in Italy, plenty of old (heated) rivalries are back and ready for another chapter. In team sports, the United States and Canada are primed for more intense competition — particularly in the men's and women's hockey tournaments. Both teams have declared that gold is the goal.
The first iteration of "USA vs. Canada: 2026 Winter Olympics edition" went down on Feb. 6, when mixed doubles curlers Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin took a close 7-5 win for Team USA over Canada's Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman.
Women's Hockey
For the first time during these Olympic Games, the United States and Canada will be facing off with a medal on the line.
After dominant runs through the women's hockey tournament in Milan, Team USA and Team Canada will meet in the tournament final for the seventh time. They know each other almost as well as they know themselves. For both teams, there is no rivalry more heated, and no victory sweeter, than the one scored over the other.
"It's intense. It's personal. Whether I play with these people or play against them, they're some of the best. It's what gets you up in the morning," U.S. forward Taylor Heise told NBCOlympics.com. "The 6 a.m. in the middle of June, like, what? What gets you up to go do that? Realizing that you're going to play a game against Canada in the middle of October, November, and you got to be ready to go."
The two have already met once so far these Olympics: a group-stage match where the United States routed the Canadians 5-0, handing them their first ever Olympic shutout. Of course, Canada was short-handed without Marie-Philip Poulin, who was sidelined with an injury, and have expressed their desire for revenge.
Game on, indeed.
Men's Hockey
On the men's side, hockey fans will have to wait for a potential USA-Canada showdown. After grabbing the top seeds in group-stage play, the two teams are currently working their way through the knockout rounds. The only chance they have of meeting will be in a game with a medal at stake.
Nonetheless, with NHL players back on Olympic ice, the potential competition holds plenty of promise. The last time the two teams met was at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025 — a tournament which featured marquee fights and high tension en route to Team Canada's ultimate tournament victory.