Canada-U.S. women's hockey rivalry remains the gold standard

Since women's hockey was included at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Canada and the U.S. have competed in five of the last six finals, collectively winning all the gold medals — four for Canada, two for the Americans. 

The two nations are once again expected to do battle for gold, but there remains intrigue with the other competing teams. 

The Olympic hockey tournament begins Wednesday night (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 11 p.m. ET) and ends with the gold-medal final on Feb. 17.

Teams are split into two seeded groups, with the five top-ranked teams in Group A and the remaining squads in Group B. All five Group A teams automatically advance to the quarter-finals, where they'll face off in an eight-team bracket that includes the top three Group B finishers.

For viewers looking beyond Canada and the U.S., CBC Olympic reporter Kenzie Lalonde recommends keeping an eye on three international players: Finnish defender Jenni Hiirikoski, Swiss centre Alina Müller, and Czech forward Alena Mills.

Here is how the teams break down:

Canada enters the Olympics on top, having gone undefeated to win August's world championship, swept a three-game fall exhibition series against Finland, and claimed four of six preparatory meetings with the Americans (though two required overtime).

While it might sound cliché, Lalonde points to quick starts as key for the Canadians.

"[At worlds] they seemed to find their speed in the second period," she said. "I think it'll be critical for them to play that full 60 minutes and make sure they get goals on the scoreboard early."

The U.S. is the defending Olympic champion, and though Canada's had the upper hand this year, it hasn't been by much.

The Americans are carrying three goalies who all have Olympic