us women's hockey final: Knight and Poulin set for another Olympic gold showdown
When the puck drops Thursday, February 20, 2026 (ET) in the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, the women's hockey final will serve as the latest chapter in one of sport's most relentless rivalries. The United States and Canada — the only two nations to have won Olympic gold in the event since its 1998 debut — will play for the title in a matchup heavy with history, records and career endings.
Rivalry built on decades of dominance
The two teams have defined women's Olympic hockey for more than a generation. Since the sport was added to the Games in 1998, Canada has claimed five gold medals and the United States two; no other country has topped the podium. The teams are meeting in the Olympic final for the seventh time, a testament to both countries' investment in the international stage and the intensity of their competition.
What began as familiar, often personal animus between players has evolved into a high-stakes national drama. Many of the sport's leading figures forged their reputations in tournament play rather than in a domestic professional spotlight, and that international pressure cooker has amplified every contest between these neighbors. For players and fans alike, the final is more than a game — it is the culmination of four years of preparation and rivalry writ large on the Olympic stage.
Stars, storylines and who to watch
Two headline figures dominate the narratives heading into the final. Hilary Knight, a veteran leader for the U. S., has framed these Games as the close of a five-Olympics career. Known for her competitive ferocity and consistency, Knight has long been a backbone of the American attack and the team's emotional engine. She has publicly described the feeling of facing Canada as electric: "When the puck drops, your heart is beating out of your chest, " she said, capturing the split between adrenaline and focus that defines these meetings.
On the Canadian side, Marie-Philip Poulin continues to extend an extraordinary legacy. Poulin moved past previous marks this tournament to become the first woman to reach 20 Olympic goals, and she has a history of altering the largest games in dramatic fashion. Nicknamed for her ability to deliver in clutch moments, she has scored gold-medal winners before and will be expected to find the same ice-cold finish Sunday night.
Elsewhere, the tournament's individual stat sheet highlights younger contributors who have stepped up. American defender Caroline Harvey leads her team in points in the tournament, and other role players on both rosters have found ways to tilt possession, penalty killing and special teams play in their teams' favor. Canadian defenseman Renata Fast emphasized the group's resolve after the semifinal, noting the path to the final was not easy and underlining the team's collective fight.
Matchups and margin for error
The matchup will be decided in small margins: puck battles along the boards, breakouts against high press, and goaltending that holds up under the personal, physical stakes of the rivalry. Both teams have prepared for a speed-and-skill contest laced with physicality and playoff-style finishing. Discipline in special teams situations — power play and penalty kill execution — could swing momentum quickly in a game where a single goal often decides the outcome.
Beyond tactics, the emotional context is unavoidable. For the U. S., the final represents a chance to reclaim the top podium after finishing with silver four years earlier. For Canada, the objective is continuity and another gold to underline sustained dominance. For players like Knight and Poulin, it's also biography: a potential career-defining moment in what have been storied runs. Expect intensity from drop of puck to final horn — this is, by every measure, what the Olympics in hockey were built to produce.
