Winter Olympics: U.S.-Canada in women's hockey is one of the best rivalries in sports - ESPN

MILAN — It's one of the greatest rivalries in sports: Canada versus the United States in women's hockey.

Consider how close the competition has been: Canada holds an all-time edge in wins (25-23) and has scored only two more goals than the U.S. (135-133), according to the AP. No other country has won Olympic or world championship gold.

On Tuesday, the North American powers face off against each other for the first time in these Olympics, a preliminary-round game that probably is a preview of the gold medal game on Feb. 19. The rest of the world just hasn't caught up to these teams, though players have said Czechia is the most improved country since the previous Olympic cycle.

If you're just tuning into the tournament, the speed, skill and physicality of women's hockey has never been at a higher level. That's thanks in large part to the emergence of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) as a competitive training ground leading into this tournament, coinciding with the continued growth of the sport.

Though Canada won at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and has a 5-2 edge gold medals, the U.S. is considered the favorite in Milan. The Americans swept a four-game Rivalry Series in the Olympic leadup, while outscoring Canada 24-7.

Both teams enter this game on the second half of a back-to-back.

«It's a massive game coming up,» U.S. defenseman Caroline Harvey said. «It's going to be an intense one; one you won't want to miss.»

Both teams are undefeated and are outscoring opponents by a wide margin. (The U.S. has a 15-1 edge; Canada's is 9-1).

Let's start with Canada, which had a delayed start after their opening game was postponed because of a norovirus outbreak on the Finland team. Canada has played one fewer game than the