USA vs. Canada: Everything to know about rivalry ahead of Olympic gold game

Everyone got the matchup they wanted for the men’s hockey Olympic gold medal game.

Sunday, the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice,” will feature the United States against Canada, which is without a doubt the fiercest international rivalry in all of sports, going for all the marbles.

Unfortunately for Americans, Canada has owned this rivalry since day one. 

This will be the eighth time the United States and Canada have played for Olympic gold, and the only time the Americans have won was back in 1960. They also faced off for gold in 1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 2002 and 2010. In the best-on-best format, the U.S. is 5-15-1, and three of those victories came in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

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Canada’s Brandon Hagel, left, fights with United States’ Matthew Tkachuk during the first period of a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.  (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)

The very first meeting between the two countries in a best-on-best format was back in the 1976 Canada Cup, which Team Canada won 4-2. The Americans did not earn their first win over their northern neighbors until 20 years later, after losing seven of their first eight meetings and tying in the other.

The U.S. won that year’s World Cup, taking home the best-of-three series against Canada, but since then, it’s mostly been Canadian dominance again.

Canada has gone 7-2 against the Americans since 1998, and four of those wins were absolute gut-punches to the United States. Canada took home the 2002 Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City over the Americans, but more famously, Sidney Crosby’s golden goal eight years later also came at the expense of Team USA in front of a Vancouver crowd. Four years later, Canada again defeated the U.S. in the Olympic semifinals, and last year, Canada won the 4 Nations Face-Off with an overtime victory against the Stars and Stripes.

Matt Boldy of Team United States and Sidney Crosby of Team Canada shake hands after the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship game between Team Canada and Team United States at TD Garden on Feb. 20, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Chase Agnello-Dean/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

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The United States’ only wins in the aforementioned span came during group play of both the 2010 Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations. So, it’s been quite a while since the Americans had true bragging rights. Overall, Canada leads the best-on-best series, 15-5-1.

These two teams are already very familiar with each other, as both rosters are largely composed of the same members as last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where three fights occurred in the first nine seconds in the countries’ first best-on-best game in nine years.

Tensions between both teams and the fans were sky-high in that tournament, as it was fresh off President Donald Trump‘s “51st state” comments and tariffs against the country.

Canada’s Sidney Crosby (87) is checked by United States’ Charlie McAvoy (25) as Vincent Trocheck (16) looks on during first period 4 Nations Face-Off hockey action in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.  (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

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But this is the true big stage, with revenge, bragging rights and Olympic gold on the line.

The gold medal game will take place Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET.

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