Key events
Revenge for curling!
Canada’s men’s curling team has embarked on a mission of sabotaging and/or bringing a lot of attention to its sport. And earlier today, they aggravated the US curling community to no end.
If you had checked the tiebreaking scenariosyou would’ve seen that if Switzerland beat Italy and Canada beat Norway, the US men would have had a shot at the playoffs. Germany beating China would also simplify things, but the US men ranked highly enough in DSC (Draw Shot Challenge, the measure of how close a team can deliver rocks to the center of the house when they attempt it before each game starts) that it didn’t matter.
Switzerland took care of business against Italy. So all the US needed was for their neighbors to the north to atone for their role in the Great Curling Kerfuffle of 2026 and beat Norway, propelling Daniel Casper and company into the semifinals. Instead, they didn’t even set the snooze alarm, allowing Norway to race out to a 5-1 lead en route to an 8-6 win.
We’re going to assume that someone has briefed the US women’s hockey team on the intricacies of men’s curling tiebreakers and the Canadian men’s shattering of the normative behavior that makes curling special, and that will give them extra incentive.
OK, more seriously – this is a massive rivalry. No extra incentive is needed. But the fact that recent games have gone the USA’s way will only inspire Canada that much more.
So if the people of the USA want to send a message to the US women’s hockey team, first, they’d say congratulations to captain Hilary Knight on her engagement to speedskater Brittany Bowe. Then they’d say to go out and win this one for Curling Rambo and the long-suffering US curling fanbase.
Preamble
Imagine Manchester City v Manchester United, Celtic v Rangers, Duke v North Carolina or Yankees v Red Sox – if those two teams were the only one who ever won the league or national championship.
That’s the USA-Canada women’s hockey rivalry, and if you think that’s an exaggeration, consider this list of every women’s hockey world championship and Olympic final.
1990 WCh: Canada 5-2 USA
1992 WCh: Canada 8-0 USA
1994 WCh: Canada 6-3 USA
1997 WCh: Canada 4-3 USA (OT)
1998 Oly: USA 3-1 Canada
1999 WCh: Canada 3-1 USA
2000 WCh: Canada 3-2 USA (OT)
2001 WCh: Canada 3-2 USA
2002 Oly: Canada 3-2 USA
2004 WCh: Canada 2-0 USA
2005 WCh: USA 1-0 Canada (shootout)
2006 Oly: Canada 4-1 Sweden
2007 WCh: Canada 5-1 USA
2008 WCh: USA 4-3 Canada
2009 WCh: USA 4-1 Canada
2010 Oly: Canada 2-0 USA
2011 WCh: USA 3-2 Canada (OT)
2012 WCh: Canada 5-4 USA (OT)
2013 WCh: USA 3-2 Canada
2014 Oly: Canada 3-2 USA (OT)
2015 WCh: USA 7-5 Canada
2016 WCh: USA 1-0 Canada (OT)
2017 WCh: USA 3-2 Canada (OT)
2018 Oly: USA 3-2 Canada (shootout)
2019 WCh: USA 2-1 Finland (shootout)
2021 WCh: Canada 3-2 USA (OT)
2022 Oly: Canada 3-2 USA
2022 WCh: Canada 2-1 USA
2023 WCh: USA 6-3 Canada
2024 WCh: Canada 6-5 USA (OT)
2025 WCh: USA 4-3 Canada (OT)
Get the picture?
Yes, it’s a problem for women’s hockey that no one else has broken through except on two occasions. It’s unfortunate that all the early rounds of any competition are so predictable.
The good news is that these finals are not predictable. The USA won the group-stage between these two teams in a rout. Today, that means exactly squat. Nada. Nothing. Nil.
Women’s hockey international tournament are a long wait for a big payoff. Enjoy.
Beau Dure will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how the men’s teams fared yesterday:
With NHL players returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014, these Games were expected to be a relative stroll for Canada and USA. However, both star-packed teams struggled in Wednesday’s men’s ice hockey quarter-finals.
Quinn Hughes scored in overtime to put the US past Sweden 2-1 after giving up the tying goal to Mika Zibanejad with 91 seconds left in the third period. Dylan Larkin deflected Jack Hughes’ shot in for the only US goal in regulation.
“Just relief,” Hughes said when asked about his emotions after the game.
Meanwhile, Canada’s quarter-final was an even tighter affair. Nick Suzuki tied the game on a deflection with 3:27 left, Mitch Marner scored in overtime, and Canada avoided what would have been a stunning exit at the Olympics by rallying to beat the Czech Republic 4-3.
“I never had a doubt, but it was getting a little nerve-racking,” defenseman Drew Doughty said.
Canada fell behind with 7:42 remaining when Ondrej Palat scored off a pass from Martin Necas. The goal sent the Czech bench and fans into a wild celebration, but their excitement was short-lived.
Suzuki just about did it all on the tying goal, sending the puck out to the point to Devon Toews and then redirecting the defenseman’s shot past Lukas Dostal. The Canadians still could have lost: Jordan Binnington denied David Pastrnak on a breakaway with 70 seconds left to send the game past regulation.
Then Marner’s backhanded goal 1:22 into overtime put Canada into Friday’s semi-finals.
“It’s the it-factor, man: Mitch Marner’s got it,” coach Jon Cooper said. “He doesn’t disappoint. Sometimes your hair falls out at times, but in the end, he never disappoints.”
Canada has won more golds than any nation in Olympic ice hockey history. But this year’s men’s team have concerns beyond their struggles in Wednesday’s game. They lost star Sidney Crosby to injury five minutes into the second period after his right leg appeared to buckle as he braced for contact with rugged Czech Republic defenseman Radko Gudas. Crosby left the ice second later after he was crunched against the boards by Gudas and Necas.
“Everybody had complete faith in whoever was going over the boards,” Cooper said. “It just felt it was like a matter of time. It was going to happen.”
The US will face Slovakia in one semi-final on Friday night. Just before that, Canada will play Finland in the other.
