USA hockey just steamrolled the competition at the Olympics. The women’s team, led by Hillary Knight, avenged their 2022 defeat, beating Canada in a thrilling gold medal match. They beat an absolute powerhouse in Canada, proving they should never be slept on. Auston Mathews led the men’s team to another overtime upset over Canada to win gold. Both teams put up an impressive, undefeated record against tough competition on the way to gold. These gold medals represent a return to power for USA hockey and are a promising result for the future.
Olympic Hockey
Since the inception of Women’s hockey, the USA and Canada have always been the two powerhouses. Their rivalry is very intense and has never truly had a break. However, in recent times, Canada has dominated the game.
They won 5 out of the 6 finals from 2002 to 2022. The USA was always just behind them. The men’s Olympic hockey division is much more diverse, but Canada is still a major powerhouse. The United States has always had lackluster results. They last won the event in 1980 at Lake Placid in the “Miracle on Ice.” Since then, they have only lost twice in the gold bracket for the gold medal, in 2002 and 2010. They have not had a podium finish since 2010.
USA Women’s Team
Going into the Olympics, the women’s team was already the favorite. They had a strong captain in five-time Olympian Hillary Knight. Caroline Harvey also took home the tournament MVP and Best Defender awards. She earned these awards after putting up a tournament-leading 9 scores, 7 assists, and a 14 ±, one of the most exciting Olympic performances of all time.
Another standout player for Team USA was Megan Keller. She put up another 9 scores.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the run was that goalie Aerin Frankel allowed just 2 goals in 99 shots. She also had 4 straight shutouts against the best teams in the world. She is also the first goalie to have 3 shutouts in Olympic history. They outplayed Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, and Sweden to reach their gold-medal thriller against Canada.
The first period was a defensive battle with neither team scoring. Canada opened the scoring early in the second with a goal by Kristin O’Neill, and they continued their defensive mastery, shutting out the USA until the 17:54 mark in the third. With just over two minutes left, captain Hilary Knight hit a clutch shot that took the game to overtime, where Megan Keller finished the game with a goal just four minutes into overtime. This win over Canada intensifies their rivalry and offers promise for the future of USA hockey, as a majority of the team will likely be returning for the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps.
USA Men’s Team
The USA Men’s team was a highly rated team going into the tournament. They weren’t the favorites over Canada, but they were second. This was evident in the Prelims, where they easily beat Latvia, Denmark, and Germany. In the quarterfinals, they had an overtime thriller with Sweden.
Dylan Larkin opened up the scoring in the second period. In the third period, Sweden struck back with a goal from Mika Zibanejad to send it to overtime. In overtime, Quinn Hughes scored just 3 minutes in to send the USA to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the USA dominated Slovakia, winning 6-2. This included goals from Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, and two goals from Jack Hughes. This domination sent them to the finals, where they would face off with rival Canada. This gold-medal game was highly anticipated since before the tournament even began. Canada was hit with the rough news that captain and veteran Sidney Crosby wouldn’t be playing. The USA struck first again with a goal from Matt Boldy in the first period. The Canadian hockey team wouldn’t score until late in the second period with a shot from Cale Makar. Going into the third period tied, tensions were high, but the period ended with a defensive show, with no goals scored. In overtime, Jack Hughes became an American hero, scoring just 1 minute into the period to win the game for the Americans. One of the most important players to the USA’s success was goalie Connor Hellebuyck. In the final, he saved an impressive 41 shots, sending the game to overtime. For this performance, he was given the Best Goaltender award. The Best Defenseman Award was given to Quinn Hughes, who tied the record for most goals scored as a defenseman.
What this means for USA Hockey
The USA women’s hockey team has always been strong, but in recent history, they have fallen to Canada more often than usual. This win over Canada gave a lot of promise for their future, especially considering a majority of the team will be returning for 2030.
While the women’s team’s win is extremely important, the Men’s team’s win is much more impactful because they have not reached the podium in so long, and they have shown they are still a hockey powerhouse capable of winning. They also have many players returning for 2030 and will hopefully be able to continue their dominance.
The USA’s win in both the men’s and women’s tournaments symbolizes a return to power and a new era for USA Hockey.
