When the puck drops to begin the ladies’s hockey last Thursday in Milan, Workforce Canada and Workforce USA will meet for the sixth time in the Olympic gold-medal game.
It’s the last showdown all of us anticipated — these two nations have met with gold on the line in all however one Olympic event, with Canada now one win away from defending its place atop the throne.
To assist set up one other version of hockey’s finest rivalry, we delved into the numbers — from gamers’ measurables and ice time to what number of days it’s been since Canada final beat Workforce USA and Marie-Philip Poulin’s jaw-dropping observe report in Olympic finals.
Right here’s a have a look at some key numbers on this storied matchup ahead of puck drop at 1:10 pm ET.
Canada vs. USA over the years
These groups have met in 23 of 24 world championship finals, and now six of seven Olympic gold-medal video games. Right here’s a have a look at some of the historic stats and data behind this unmatched rivalry.
1.75 —Common goals-per-game registered by Poulin in Olympic gold medal finals (throughout 4 appearances). In 26 profession Olympic video games general, she’s scored at a 1.5 goals-per-game tempo.
2 — Quantity of occasions the Olympic last has gone to time beyond regulation (or past). Canada gained in OT at Sochi 2014, and Workforce USA gained in a shootout in 2018.
2 — The most important objective differential in any Canada-USA Olympic last in historical past; 4 of the earlier six conferences on this game have been determined by a single objective.
3 — Olympic gold medal game-winners scored by Poulin (in 2010, ’14 and ’22), the most by any hockey participant ever. Three can also be the quantity of Olympic gold medals No. 29 owns, the most of any participant competing.
5 — Olympic appearances for each Poulin and American ahead Hilary Knight, the most of anybody on this gold-medal game, and in historical past. In all, 9 ladies have appeared in 5 Olympic tournaments, together with Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford. Each Wickenheiser and Hefford are four-time Olympic gold medallists.
7 — Quantity of consecutive video games Canada has misplaced to Workforce USA heading into the 2026 Olympic gold medal last, courting again to final 12 months’s Rivalry Sequence.
8 — Quantity of consecutive video games Canada misplaced to Workforce USA heading into the 2002 Olympic gold medal last, which the Canadians gained 3-2. (In different phrases, this isn’t new territory for the Canucks.)
20 — Objectives scored by Poulin at the Olympics, which is the most all-time in ladies’s hockey, a report she set whereas potting a pair in Canada’s 2-1 semifinal win over Switzerland on Monday.
32 — Profession factors Knight has registered at the Olympics, the most by any American lady ever. Thursday might be the final Olympic game performed by the one-time gold and three-time silver medallist on this stage. A day earlier than the last, Knight proposed to her girlfriend, Olympic speedskater Brittany Bowe (and Bowe mentioned sure!)
39 — Complete profession factors Poulin has registered at the Olympics, second all-time behind Wickenheiser’s 50.
376 — Days since the Canadians final beat Workforce USA. Can they break the streak on Thursday?
Tape to tape: 2026 Olympic roster make-up
One of the greatest storylines of these Winter Olympics is the youth of Workforce USA in comparison with Canada’s expertise and, properly … older age. Let’s check out precisely how these groups stack up in relation to age and different measurables that assist inform the story of how these rosters have been constructed.
5 — Members of Workforce USA from the State of Hockey, making Minnesota the most-represented state on the American workforce.
5-foot-two — The peak of the shortest gamers in the gold medal game, American forwards Cayla Barnes and Kendall Coyne Schofield.
6-foot-one — The peak of the tallest participant in the gold medal game, American defender Laila Edwards. The 22-year-old Olympic rookie has been wonderful in her debut, rating third general in event scoring with seven factors in six video games.
7 — American gamers nonetheless enjoying school hockey, in comparison with zero from Canada.
12 — Olympic rookies suiting up for Workforce USA, together with all three goaltenders and the event’s main scorer, defender Caroline Harvey. Canada has seven Olympic rookies, together with 28-year-old defender Kati Tabin, the oldest rookie competing.
14 — Gamers on Canada’s roster from Ontario, the most-represented province in the last.
20 — Age of American ahead Pleasure Dunne, the youngest competitor in the gold medal game.
25.8 — Common age of the 23-woman American roster.
29.2 — Common age of the 23-woman Canadian roster (that’s 3.4 years older than Workforce USA’s).
37 — Age of Canadian defender Jocelyne Larocque, the oldest competitor in the gold medal game.
126 lbs. — Weight of each Canadian ahead Kristin O’Neill and USA’s Coyne Schofield, making them the lightest gamers on the ice.
190 lbs.— Edwards’s weight; she’s the heaviest participant on the ice.
Stats that inform the story of the 2026 Video games
Historical past favours Workforce Canada when these nations go head-to-head, however the stats from Milano Cortina 2026 exhibits us precisely why the Individuals are favoured for gold heading into this last showdown.
.983 — The save proportion of Workforce USA beginning goaltender Aerin Frankel, whose otherworldly stat line by way of 4 begins in Milano Cortina features a 0.25 goals-against common and three shutouts — together with one towards Canada.
.901 — Ann-Renee Desbien’s save proportion over 4 appearances, which is ninth finest at these Video games. (Her 1.81 targets towards per game ranks her third.) Canada’s starter entered the event undefeated at the Olympic degree however suffered her first loss in preliminary play towards the Individuals. Desbiens, 31, is now 9-1 on this stage.
1 — Quantity of targets scored towards Workforce USA by way of six video games at these Olympics. That objective was scored by Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova on the first day of the ladies’s event, with the Individuals shutting the door ever since.
4 — Objectives scored by Workforce USA ahead Hannah Bilka, making her the event’s present goal-scoring chief. Two of these targets got here towards Canada in the preliminary spherical.
5-0 — The ultimate rating of Workforce USA’s lop-sided victory over Canada in round-robin play final week, which marked the Individuals’ largest margin of victory over Canada at the Olympics and the first time the Canadians have ever been shut out at this degree.
7 — Quantity of Individuals listed on the top-10 factors leaderboard. Only one Canuck made the checklist (Daryl Watts, at No. 2).
8 — Watts’ level complete at these Video games, which has her sitting second tournament-wide. The primary-time Olympian has been Canada’s high playmaker, with a team-best six helpers.
8 — Quantity of targets scored by Workforce USA defenders at the event, which accounts for greater than 1 / 4 of the membership’s targets. For comparability, Canada has struggled to provide a lot offence from its personal blue line, with Claire Thompson the lone defender to attain for the Canucks.
9 — Workforce USA defender Carolina Harvey leads the Olympic event in factors, registering 9 in six video games. She additionally leads the event in assists, with seven.
12 — The quantity of completely different goal-scorers for Workforce Canada at these Olympics. Six of them have tallied a number of targets.
15 — The quantity of completely different goal-scorers for Workforce USA, 11 of whom have registered multi-goal video games at the Olympics.
18 — The quantity of Canadian skaters (out of 20) who’ve registered at the very least one level in Milano Cortina.
19 — The quantity of American skaters who’ve registered at the very least one level at the event.
21:24 — Canadian defender Renata Quick’s common ice time, making her the busiest skater on the squad.
22:31 — Harvey’s team-leading common ice time per game, including to her case for Workforce USA’s MVP on this event.
31 — Complete quantity of targets scored by Workforce USA at the Olympics. Canada sits second in complete targets scored, with 21.
36.84 — Canada’s tournament-leading power-play proportion, which has given it an actual edge offensively as they routinely make opponents pay for penalties. (Workforce USA has drawn extra penalties than anybody, however has struggled to money in with the benefit relative to its rivals north of the border with a fourth-best success charge of 20 per cent.)
70.94 — Alex Carpenter’s tournament-leading faceoff win proportion, which simply barely edges out Poulin’s second-best 69.09.
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