Men’s hockey has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1920. It was originally introduced as a part of the Summer Olympics, and in 1924, it was moved to the Winter Games (which were introduced that year). Canada won the gold medal in six of the first seven events. They medaled in the first nine events.
Overall, Canada has 24 years where they won the gold medal. In years that NHL players are allowed to play in the Olympics, Canada wins gold three of six times. The sixth time, and the one time the NHL Canadians made it to the gold medal game and lost, was in 2026. Team USA took control by winning the men's and women's medals this year.
Team USA won the Olympics on vibes...and talent
This was the first time Team USA felt like it was on par with Canada. The talent was getting closer to equal. Yes, Canada has Connor McDavid, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby, but the Americans have the Tkachuk brothers, the Hughes brothers, Auston Matthews, and Connor Hellebuyck. The USA also has all the vibes on its side.
They play Free Bird and lose their minds whenever a teammate scores. They aren’t going to work like Canada is; they are playing shinny with their friends on the pond. Add in the Johnny Gaudreau factor, carrying around his jersey to make sure he was a part of this group. Allowing his family to join them on the ice after winning was incredible. Losing such an important part of Team USA so young made an impact on this team.
That is what led to their own version of the "Golden Goal." Ironically, it was another New Jersey Devils star that pushed them. In 2010, the last time the United States got close to a gold medal, the closest they've gotten since 1980, Zach Parise scored the game-tying goal with just 24 seconds left in the game. Of course, Sidney Crosby saved Canada with the Golden Goal.
This year, it was Canada who scored a goal when down to tie the game, and it was the United States who scored the winner. Jack Hughes, a current Devils star, skated into the offensive zone and took a pass from Zack Werenski. He beat Jordan Binnington in the five hole to erase all memories of Crosby and take back the term "Golden Goal" as a term for the Americans.
How the USA women won gold
On the women’s side, USA-Canada is one of the most important and fabulous rivalries in sports. Women’s hockey was added to the Winter Olympics in 1998. The gold medal game has come down to Canada and USA seven of eight times. Canada has come out on top six times overall (with five coming at the expense of the United States, directly).
That changed in 2026. The women came into the Olympics with real momentum. This felt like their year. Their goalie, Aerin Frankel, is the future of this franchise, and she carried the team to a gold medal. There are as many stars as there have ever been, and they have the gusto to take over the rivalry.
And they also had a chance to score their Golden Goal. See, there had been multiple gold medal games between the United States and Canada on the women's side that needed overtime. In 2014, Marie-Philip Poulin scored for Canada to send the U.S.A. with a silver medal. She had just scored the game-tying goal with a minute left in the game.
The next year, U.S.A. won the gold medal in a shootout. Of course, Canadians would claim that's not a real medal, so the U.S. needed a big win. This year, Megan Keller scored the game winner in the extra period. For the third time, the American women were gold medalists.
The United States own the sport of hockey on the international stage for the first time
And that’s why we’re here today. For the first time since the Soviet Union had a strange hold on the sport, we’re talking about someone other than Canada as the true worldwide leader in hockey.
There are plenty of events at the Winter Olympics where the Americans have dominated. Snowboarding has been a big one for the U.S., and there’s always a figure skater who represents the red, white, and blue well. Now, add hockey to that list.
The best part about this rivalry on both sides is that there are fantastic young players who haven’t even played yet. Between the Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, we still haven’t seen Connor Bedard, Matthew Schaefer, and Evan Bouchard on the Canada side. The United States hasn’t seen Cole Caufield, Jason Robertson, Zeev Buium, and Logan Cooley play for their country since the World Juniors. This rivalry is going to continue for years.
However, for now, Canada is the silver medalist. They are in second place when it comes to worldwide, best-on-best hockey. They are behind the Americans in their biggest sport. And there’s no end in sight.