Hilary Knight says women's hockey isn't just about USA and Canada

At Nagano 1998, the United States defeated Canada to become the first Olympic champions in women's ice hockey.

It sparked one of the fiercest and most captivating rivalries in sport with the teams meeting again in the Beijing 2022 final: the latest episode of this box-office series.

Just listening to the latest generation of U.S. and Canadian hockey stars talk about it gives you an idea of just how much this gold medal means to them.

"It's wonderful hockey, it's the most beautiful rivalry in sport," said USA's star forward Hilary Knight.

"It gets the best and the worst out of both of us at the same time. It's a wonderful game."

Canada won four out of six of the two nations' pre-Olympic tour encounters, two in overtime, and beat USA 4-2 in their preliminary round clash in Beijing.

Knight says the USA have some "unfinished business" in what should be another thrilling final.

But how does she feel about the gap between the two North American giants and the rest of the world in women's hockey?

Hilary Knight upbeat on the growth of women's ice hockey

Canada have run up the score repeatedly in Beijing with USA never seriously troubled other than in the teams' preliminary round meeting.

Switzerland, who could win a bronze medal, went down 12-1 and 10-3 to Canada with USA beating them 8-0.

But Knight believes the gap is closing between the big two and the rest.

She said, "Everyone’s good at this tournament. It’s wonderful because I think it’s a testament to the growth of women’s hockey.

"I think that’s why we saw the World Championships have more teams in the tournament, and it’s wonderful to see the girls on the world stage."

Denmark made their debut in Beijing, as did hosts China who managed to surprise Japan in their first preliminary group encounter.

All good news for the game, with new generations shown a path.

"Obviously as a competitor," continues Knight, "when I’m wearing the U.S. jersey, I want to win every single game and don’t want to give any other team credit. But when I take that hat off, it’s wonderful to see.”

USA women's ice hockey coach Joel Johnson says game is growing

USA coach Joel Johnson agrees with Knight's assessment.

“I think the scores are a little bit deceiving to start the tournament. And I say that very confidently, having as much experience as I have coaching at the under-18 level and under-22 level and national team level.

"I think what I see is a growth and development of women’s hockey and the global pandemic has maybe stalled it a touch, just like it has on the men’s side.

“I think the more resources and the more visibility that women’s hockey gets at the youngest levels, in particular for the grass-roots federations to put money and support into their programs, you’re just going to see it continue.

"I think we’re just in a little bit of a pause right now for a variety of factors, but I think in the coming days if we continue to support women’s hockey and give it visibility and give it marketing and give it resources, you’re going to see a pretty significant jump in terms of the competitive balance."

Hilary Knight: "More money and more eyes on the sport"

When you look at the men's game and see stories like Slovakia's quarter-final upset of the USA or Czech Republic's stunning gold medal at Nagano 1998, the women's game could do with some similar electrifying tales.

And Knight knows what will help the game move forward.

“I want more money and more eyes on the sport,” she said in Beijing.

“In the sport. We need more money, we need more marketing, we need more visibility, more storytelling. Programming as well, and resources.

“The game’s getting a lot faster and that’s only because we now have more opportunities to train. And especially from the grass roots level all the way up it’s really important to invest in women’s hockey and see other countries doing it as well.”

The rivalry between USA and Canada is one that certainly captures the imagination.

Perhaps this game might be the trigger for a viable professional league, something Knight and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield have been fighting for since the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League in 2019.

That's what happened after the USA women's basketball team won gold at Atlanta 1996 with the WNBA born soon after.

USA dominated women's football at one point too, but they were dethroned at Tokyo 2020 with Canada beating Sweden in a thriller of a final.

Women's hockey can change too but, for now, all eyes are on Thursday's final between the North American neighbours in Beijing.