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Everyone got the matchup they wanted for the men’s hockey Olympic gold medal game.
On Sunday, the 46th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice,” the United States will face off against Canada, which is arguably the fiercest international rivalry in all of sports, going for all the marbles.
Unfortunately for the Americans, Canada has owned this rivalry since day one.
This will be the eighth time the United States and Canada will play for Olympic gold, and the only time the Americans won was in 1960. They also met for gold in 1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 2002 and 2010. In the best-versus-best format, the United States is 5-15-1, with three of those victories coming in the 1996 World Cup. Hockey.
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Brandon Hagel of Canada, left, fights with Matthew Tkachuk of the United States during the first period of a 4 Nations hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)
The first meeting between the two countries in a best-versus-best format was in the 1976 Canada Cup, which Team Canada won 4-2. The Americans did not achieve their first victory over their northern neighbors until 20 years later, after losing seven of their first eight meetings and drawing the other.
The United States won the World Cup that year and took home the best-of-three series against Canada, but since then, it has largely reverted to Canadian dominance.
Canada has gone 7-2 against the Americans since 1998, and four of those wins were absolute blows for the United States. Canada took home the 2002 Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City over the Americans, but most 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 defeated the United States again in the Olympic semifinals, and last year, Canada won the 4 Nations Showdown with an overtime victory against the Stars and Stripes.
Matt Boldy of Team USA and Sidney Crosby of Team Canada shake hands after the 4 Nations Head to Head Championship match between Team Canada and Team USA at TD Garden on February 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Chase Agnello-Dean/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
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The United States’ only victories in the aforementioned span came during the group stages of the 2010 Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations. So, it’s been quite a while since Americans had real bragging rights. Overall, Canada leads the best-versus-best series, 15-5-1.
These two teams are already very familiar with each other, as both squads are largely made up of the same members as last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where three fights occurred in the first nine seconds in the first match between the best of both countries in nine years.
Tensions between both teams and the fans were through the roof in that tournament, fresh from President Donald Trump.‘s Comments and tariffs of the “51st state” against the country.
Canada’s Sidney Crosby (87) is checked by American Charlie McAvoy (25) as Vincent Trocheck (16) watches during the first period of 4 Nations hockey action in Montreal on Saturday, February 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
But this is the real big stage, where revenge, bragging rights and Olympic gold are on the line.
The gold medal game will take place on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET.
