Winter Olympics Ice Hockey: Old rivalry reignites in Canada vs US Women's Hockey Final: Preview and How to Watch

Since the Olympic debut of women's ice hockey at Nagano 1998, two nations have stood tallest.

And at Beijing 2022, for the sixth time in seven finals, reigning champions United States and Canada will again play for gold with Canada leading the head-to-head 3-2.

The last two gold medal games went to overtime with Marie-Philip Poulin scoring to clinch victory for Canada at Sochi 2014, and Maddie Rooney's shootout heroics four years later securing Team USA their first gold since Nagano.

Their duopoly stretches to the World Championship with no other team taking the trophy since its inception in 1990.

Canada definitely go into the match as favourites having beaten Team USA 4-2 in last Tuesday's preliminary group meeting.

They also made lighter work of their semi-final, thumping Switzerland 10-3 with USA defeating Finland 4-1 after a scoreless first period.

But those results will count for little ahead of the latest instalment in what is becoming one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport.

After the win over Switzerland, Canada captain Poulin said, "Obviously the 2018 game is in the back of our head but we've just got to move forward and focus on the next game."

Claire Thompson added, "We've got one game left and we're hoping to carry it through to the end. We just want to keep things rolling and we're just excited to get to play in the finals.

Like Poulin, USA forward Hilary Knight has played in each of the last three finals.

She said after the semi-finals, "It's the most beautiful rivalry in sport. "It gets the best and the worst out of both of us at the same time. It's a wonderful game."

Previous gold medal meetings between Canada and United States

Nagano 1998 - United States 3, Canada 1

This was the first time women's ice hockey was played at the Olympic Winter Games and, as expected, Canada and USA met in the final.

Canada had won all four previous World Championship titles, but the Americans gained a massive psychological edge in their round-robin meeting as they scored six times in the last 13 minutes without reply to win 7-4.

In the gold-medal match, powerplay goals from Gretchen Ulion and Shelley Looney put the United States two in front midway through the last period.

Danielle Goyette pulled one back with four minutes to go, but Sandra Whyte scored an empty-netter in the dying seconds to secure gold.

Team USA called the triumph a "cultural turning point" for the women's game in the country, similar to the 'Miracle on Ice' for the men 18 years earlier.

Salt Lake City 2002 - United States 2, Canada 3

Canada exacted the sweetest of revenges by winning the most important match of all in their rivals' own backyard to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Caroline Ouellette gave Canada the lead inside two minutes but Katie King levelled early in the second period.

Undeterred, Canada opened up a two-goal lead thanks to tournament MVP Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford.

Karyn Bye was able to pull one back inside the last four minutes, but USA could not find an equaliser with Canada claiming their first women's ice hockey Olympic gold.

Vancouver 2010 - Canada 2, United States 0

USA returned to the final after their stunning semi-final reverse in Torino, but they were forced to settle for silver as Canada retained their title on home ice.

In the lowest scoring Olympic final so far, goalie Shannon Szabados had a shutout as she kept out all 28 of USA's shots.

Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice in the opening period, and that proved to be enough to see the Canadians complete a hat-trick of Olympic titles.

Sochi 2014 - Canada 3, United States 2 (OT)

Canada won their fourth consecutive Olympic gold at Sochi 2014, and it was undoubtedly their most dramatic victory.

The USA looked like ending their barren run when Meghan Duggan and Alex Carpenter put them into a 2-0 lead early into the third quarter.

Back came Canada through Brianne Jenner before Poulin scored in the final minute to take the game into overtime.

Canada had a powerplay when USA forward Hilary Knight was sent to the penalty box for a contested cross-check on Wickenheiser, and Poulin scored again to spark wild celebrations among the team in red.

PyeongChang 2018 - Canada 2, United States 3 (SO)

Another final where regulation time could not separate the sides, and this one went all the way to a shootout with no goals in overtime.

Knight gave the United States the lead but Canada went in front thanks to Haley Irwin and, surprise surprise, Poulin.

Monique Lamoureux-Morando levelled with just over six minutes to go to send the game into overtime before women's ice hockey's first shootout decider for gold.

Canada had won 2-1 in the preliminary round, but their run of four Olympic titles would come to an end.

When Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson cleverly beat Szabados, Meghan Agosta needed to score to keep Canada in it.

But Maddie Rooney stopped her shot before flinging her stick in the air as Team USA secured their first gold since Nagano 1998.

Stars to watch

Marie-Philip Poulin

Marie-Philip Poulin is appearing at her fourth Olympic Winter Games having made her debut at Vancouver 2010.

Aged just 18, she scored both goals in the Vancouver final before netting the overtime winner in Sochi.

She also scored in the PyeongChang final making her the only woman to score in three consecutive gold medal games.

Nicknamed 'Captain Clutch', the 30-year-old forward scored another game-winner in last year's World Championship final to claim her second world title.

She's in good form in Beijing and scored twice in the 10-3 semi-final win against Switzerland to take her tally to four for the tournament.

Poulin is a founding member of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association (PWHPA) after the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) folded in 2019.

The association's mission is to create a financially viable and sustainable professional women’s league.

Hilary Knight

Hilary Knight scored her fifth goal of the tournament to put daylight between USA and Finland in the semi-finals.

Her goal late in the period, after Cayla Barnes had put USA ahead, helped settle a match against a team that had been beaten 11-0 by Canada in the prelims.

Knight may be missing her attacking partner Brianna Decker - who suffered a broken leg and ankle ligament damage in their tournament opener - but she set up Kendall Coyne Schofield for USA's final goal in a 4-1 win.

This is the 32-year-old's fourth Games, following up silver at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 with gold in PyeongChang.

Knight has won eight World Championship titles and two silvers stretching back to 2007, a year after she made her debut at the 2006 Four Nations Cup.

After she scored against Czech Republic, she said: "High-pressure situations are fun. When you've been around long enough you understand how rare they are, so it's wonderful to be able to work through those."

Sarah Nurse

Sarah Nurse is making her second Games appearance, four years after taking silver in PyeongChang.

The forward was also on the Canada team that won their first World Championship since 2012 last year in Calgary when they defeated the USA in overtime.

The 27-year-old has found the net four times so far in Beijing including a hat-trick against Finland.

She's also been racking up the assists with four in the quarter-final win over Sweden, and four more against Switzerland in the semi-final.

Nurse, who plays for Toronto-based Team Sonnet in the PWHPA, started skating at age three and playing hockey at five.

She was inspired after watching the Canadian women's team win gold at Salt Lake City 2002, and is a vocal advocate for gender and racial equality.

Nurse said, "I know that there have been statements made by different people saying, ‘Well, it’s not just a hockey thing, there are gender inequalities and disparities everywhere.’ And so to that I say, well, don’t we see a problem? Why can’t the hockey world be a driving force? Why can’t it be a leader in change? Why can’t it be a champion of change?

"As we move forward as a women’s hockey community, the breadcrumbs that we’ve been given in the past aren’t going to be accepted."

Barbie dolls with likenesses to Nurse and teammate Poulin were launched in November 2020.

Kendall Coyne Schofield

Team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield is competing in her third Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and scored the fourth goal in the quarter-final win over Czech Republic.

She also assisted on Knight's goal in the semi-final win over Finland.

The 29-year-old was part of the title-winning team in PyeongChang, four years after her silver in Sochi and is also a six-time world champion.

Coyne Schofield has three goals and two assists in five games for Team USA, scoring the fourth against Czech Republic and setting up Knight’s goal.

Coyne Schofield is in her second year as a player development coach with NHL team Chicago Blackhawks.

Coyne Schofield became the first woman to compete in an NHL All-Stars skills competition at the 2019 NHL All-Star weekend.

In July 2018 she became the first woman to play in the Chicago Pro Hockey League.

How to watch the women's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and USA at Beijing 2022

The big showdown between the United States and Canada is on Thursday (17 February) at 12:10 Beijing time (23:10 EST, 20:10 PST on Wednesday).

MORE: How to watch ice hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022