The American women’s hockey team beat the Canadians by a 2-1 score in overtime on Thursday afternoon to win the 2026 Olympic gold medal.
Canada has now lost eight straight games against the U.S.
With the silver medal, Canada now has 15 medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Kristin O’Niell scored the game’s opening goal early in the second period on a short-handed breakaway for Canada, but American Hilary Knight scored the equalizer with less than three minutes in the third period. It was 29 year-old Megan Keller who scored the overtime winner for the U.S.
Canada won the gold medal against the U.S. at the 2022 Beijing Olympics by a 3-2 score.
Canada and the U.S. are the only countries to win Olympic gold medals since women’s hockey was first introduced in the Olympics in 1998. Each gold medal game has been separated by one goal since Torino 2006, where Canada beat Sweden by a 4-1 score. Canada and the U.S. have faced off for the Olympic gold medal seven times in the past eight gold medal matchups.
The game as a whole marked a new chapter in the development of women’s hockey, as this is the first Olympic gold medal game since the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
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Cheri Bradish, a sport business professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, had told Global News ahead of the game that while “the PWHL has a global footprint, (it) really is a North American property.”
“What will be really interesting to track now is this global stage, where the Olympics will take the PWHL global in a different way.”
The PWHL started the season with its strongest attendance in league history, welcoming more than 154,000 attendees across the first 16 games of the season in January. The PWHL also announced in March 2025 that the league surpassed one million fans in attendance since its launch.
While 61 PWHL athletes flew to Milan to compete in these Olympic Games, there were 39 PWHL players competing in this year’s gold-medal game, and an additional six PWHL players in the bronze medal game between Switzerland and Sweden, showcasing the talent of PWHL players. Currently, the PWHL has 17 players playing from across 10 different countries not in North America.
Laurel Walzak, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s RTA sport media program, called the building of women’s hockey “promising.”
“When you see the women’s game, there is so much hope. There is professionalism, there is talent, they are playing more regularly, there’s more money being put into it,” said Walzak.
“All of that put together makes this great recipe of success.”
Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice-president of hockey operations, said “the bar has been raised in Milano Cortina with elevated speed, skill and physicality driven by the PWHL and the global growth of the game.”
“We know a lot of new fans may be discovering women’s hockey and falling in love with the sport through the Olympics, and it’s exciting to feed that surging interest with the PWHL, where fans can continue following world-class athletes competing every single day, not just every four years,” said Hefford.
I’m so sick of this weak azz country!
What a f * cking embarrassment. They played like a bunch of chinks.
Silver is a great finish. To bad media is so elite. Must be gold or you are just a slum team. Media really needs to support our athletes more.
Oh Mr. Troll, you try so so hard to get to me. Still here. Still commenting. The women did excellent. They can play a better faster, cleaner game then the men. Silver is a good place to finish.
Very Disappointing. Almost had it but looked like they ran out of gas.
It was clear it was game of youth vs age. Canada went the PC path and gave the old guard one last chance and the US went with speed and youth.
3rd period and OT it was clear who made the right choice, Canada looked tired.
The average age of the Canadian women’s hockey team is 29.2 years, while the United States team has a significantly younger average age of 25.8 years. Nuff said!
They suck. Why are women playing hockey anyway??!! They belong in the kitchen and that’s that.
They suck. Why are women playing hockey anyway?? Get the. Out of sports and into the kitchen where they belong.
Unfortunately…and I say this with great humility and respect…the women’s game has a very long way to go. When I watch any game, US, Canada or other countries, it hardly compares to my grandsons (14 year old) bantam house league game. I really appreciate all the interest and hype, promotion etc…but they really need to develop more before being on “center stage ” at the Olympics. I understand it may be financially beneficial for everyone in the process but seriously this is very amateur hockey for what we are accustomed to..and disappointing. Take 5 years off this Olympic focus for women’s hockey and then re-introduce, “providing they have all improved” but seriously…painful to watch!!!
Simple missed passes, bad decisions, crazy play making…constantly falling down in so many plays..etc…etc…just so painful to watch.
5 years, of more development and genuine talent- skill growth and this may be marketable.
In the meantime..you are holding us “RANSOM”…and that is not good or appreciated.
Good job ladies on both sides, way to represent both your countries