Before the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Paralympics, the U.S. sled hockey team wasn’t much of a threat.
Up to that point, the Americans never had claimed a medal of any color at either the Paralympics or the World Para Ice Hockey Championships. They didn't qualify for sled hockey's Paralympic debut in 1994, and four years later, they placed 6th out of seven teams on the Paralympic stage.
The country finished dead last at the 2000 World Championships, the last before the 2002 Paralympics. But, by virtue of the upcoming Games being on home soil, the United States received an automatic bid into the Paralympic sled hockey tournament in 2002.
That February, after months of restructuring within and intense training by the U.S. national program, the Americans went undefeated in Utah, beating Norway in a shootout, 4-3, for Paralympic gold.
Their triumph ignited a wave of interest in sled hockey across the country and produced a sports dynasty like no other. In the 24 years since, the United States has collected 12 world championship medals (7 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) and five more Paralympic prizes (4 gold, 1 bronze), becoming the first country to secure titles in back-to-back Paralympic Games (2010, 2014) and world championships (2009, 2012).
The Americans have made the podium at every world championship tournament since 2004 and won the last four Paralympic titles. They could win a fifth at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics — something no hockey team ever has done at either the Olympic or Paralympic level.
Only three Olympic hockey programs have won four back-to-back titles at the Olympics: Canada's men's team (1920, 1924, 1928, 1932), the Soviet Union's men's team (1964, 1968, 1972, 1976), and Canada's women's team (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). Norway is the only country — aside from the United States — to make four straight Paralympic gold medal games, though it only won once, in 1998 (the United States prevented Norway from repeating as champion in 2002).
What’s more, the Paralympic final will feature the sport’s greatest rivalry, pitting the United States against Canada for the third time in Milan.
With a win in this year’s gold medal game, the United States also would become the first country to sweep all three Olympic and Paralympic hockey tournaments. The American men and women claimed double gold during the Olympic tournament in Milan in February.
The United States brought a wealth of veteran talent to Italy, compiling a roster of 13 athletes with at least one Paralympics under their belt and four driven rookies. Six have made three or more Paralympic appearances. By sticking with a group which has proven golden potential, as well as one which understands and upholds the culture that has gotten the team this far, the Americans have been able to continue their dominant streak in Milan.
Through four games so far, the U.S. sled hockey team has outscored its opponents 40-3 — tying the franchise record for most goals scored in a single Paralympic tournament — outshot its opponents 166-17, overcome early one-goal deficits twice, and posted a perfect 4-0 record.
“It’s a really fun group, and it’s such a hard-working group. We have a lot of ambitious young players. We are all super close off the ice,” Declan Farmer, who leads the team in scoring in Milan, told the media after a training session on March 6. “All these [previous gold medalist] teams have been close off the ice, but it feels like we get closer and closer over the years. We just spend more time with each other.”
Farmer has put up a historic effort all on his own in Milan. Already the all-time U.S. leader in goals, points, and assists, as well as the U.S. record-holder in a single-season for goals and points, the forward has recorded an astonishing 14 goals and 24 assists through four games, far surpassing Canadian Billy Bridges as the all-time leading scorer (64 points) in Paralympic history.
Farmer — who won Paralympic gold with the U.S. squad in 2014, 2018, and 2022 — also now owns the mark for single tournament goals and points. With one more assist in the gold medal game, he’ll tie his own single-tournament assist record, which he set with 11 in Beijing. He has tallied a hat trick and registered at least five points in each game, including seven in the United States’ 13-0 victory over Germany, marking a career best.
The 28-year-old insists his success only has been possible because of the talent by which he is surrounded.
“It just shows we’ve had a really good team for a long time. You need good teammates to be able to score goals,” he said. “I’m very, very fortunate to play with good players for a long time.”
The offensive burden doesn’t just fall on Farmer. Seven other players up and down the roster have posted six or more points across four games, and three — forward Brody Roybal (12), defenseman Noah Grove (11), and defenseman Jack Wallace (10) — have crossed the double-digit mark. Three-time Paralympic captain Josh Pauls has eight. Teenage rookies Kayden Beasley and Brett Bolton have scored three and four goals, respectively.
“I think it’s just so impressive to see the depth we have,” Pauls said after the United States’ 14-1 tournament-opening win over Italy, where each player on the U.S. roster recorded at least one point en route to setting a new U.S. record for most goals scored in a single Paralympic game. “Obviously, our training has paid off.”
More than anyone, Pauls understands just how special this group of players is. In his 17th season with the national team, the 33-year-old defender is the only active member of the 2010 gold-winning Paralympic roster. In recognition of his seniority and accomplishment, he was named one of two U.S. flagbearers for the 2026 Opening Ceremony.
“I attribute my longevity to the guys who I play with,” Pauls said. “I think they make it so fun playing hockey, and it means I want to keep going.”
On Sunday, the Americans will take on a Canadian squad itching to take down the United States.
Just like in the world of standing hockey, the United States and Canada have dominated the sled hockey field for years. The two have combined for 12 of the 14 world titles ever contested and all of the last 11. They’ve gone head-to-head in the last eight world championship title games; Canada took the crown in 2013, 2017, and 2024, and the United States won the other five.
At the Paralympic level, the Americans have beaten Canada in the last two gold medal matches — once by 2-1 in overtime, and, most recently, by 5-0. Canada has not won Paralympic gold since 2006, the last Italian-hosted Games.
“There’s full butterflies beforehand,” Farmer told NBC Sports ahead of the 2025 World Championships of playing Team Canada. “You’ve got to execute. You’ve got to get the job done. You have to be at your best to win. It’s not just about showing up anymore, which is a good, healthy place to be.”
Like the United States, Canada boasts a heavily-veteran roster featuring 10 silver medalists from Beijing. Greg Westlake is competing at his sixth Paralympics this year, while Adam Dixon is in his fifth. They are powered, however, by captain and three-time Paralympic medalist Tyler McGregor.
McGregor, 32, has recorded a team-leading 13 points (6 goals). In the country’s semifinal win over China, he contributed to three of Canada’s four goals (2 goals, 1 assist).
“He’s just tenacious. That’s what I admire about [him]. He’s almost a lunatic in puck battles,” Farmer said at the USOPC media summit in October 2025. “I tell the guys on the team, ‘Hey, be crazy like McGregor.’”
So far in Milan, Canada has scored 30 goals on its opponents and allowed three. The whole squad has demonstrated the dogged nature Farmer attributed to McGregor, losing and then regaining a two-goal lead over China in the semifinal to secure their spot in the title game.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s gold medal showdown, the United States has found an unparalleled level of success in the sport and set a standard that every athlete, able-bodied or not, can strive for.
The Americans’ role comes with a certain level of pressure, Farmer said. But it’s a feeling the team is used to, and it’s something they use to fuel their performance.
“We all want this. We have all already poured our life into this. The pressure doesn’t really matter as far as performance goes,” Farmer said. “We were already going to give it everything we have, and the pressure is only good because it brings more attention and will help grow the Paralympics.