Team Canada players reflect on heated rivalry with Team USA ahead of women’s world hockey championship
It’s one of the greatest rivalries in sport, period.
Whether it’s the Olympic Games, the world championships, or the appropriately named “Rivalry Series”—you know when it’s Team Canada and Team USA up against each other in women’s hockey, it’s going to be electric.
So, electricity is what we can expect as Team Canada mounts a defence of its title at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, taking place April 9-20 in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.
In the first 23 world championships, Team Canada has faced off against Team USA in the final a total of 22 times. With 13 world titles to its name, Team Canada has the better track record.
In the seven iterations of the women’s ice hockey tournament at the Olympic Games, Team Canada and Team USA have faced off for the gold medal six times. In addition to being the defending world champion, Team Canada is the reigning Olympic champion, having defeated the USA 3-2 in the final at Beijing 2022.
READ: Team Canada set to defend title at women’s world hockey championship
The recent 4 Nations Face-Off tournament saw tensions between Team Canada and Team USA’s men’s hockey teams at an all-time high, stoked by the American president’s incendiary rhetoric about annexing Canada.
READ: Team Canada wins 4 Nations Face-Off in overtime, defeating Team USA
Will the continued political tension ratchet up the Canada/USA rivalry at the women’s world championship? With a rivalry already this intense, is that even possible?
Team Canada veteran Brianne Jenner says that there does feel like extra significance to this moment, as she dons the maple leaf for the 11th time at the world championships.
“This rivalry is always heated. It’s just the nature of it. It’s one of the best rivalries in sport,” said Jenner, the captain of the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge. “But I think there is an added emotion. There’s an added sense of Canadian pride at this moment with what’s going on in the political landscape. I don’t think that’s lost on anyone.”
That being said, as an experienced player, Jenner knows that the team needs to tune out outside noise and focus on their task at hand.
“It doesn’t really change our job in terms of how we approach it. We’re always passionate about what we do, and really grateful to wear the maple leaf. Hopefully we’ll be able to make the country proud at a unique time right now.”
Team Canada and Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais said that it was fun to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off, knowing that the women’s world championship was approaching.
“It was really cool to see the men have that same passion that we typically have year after year. The honour of representing our country has always been super high, especially in the women’s game,” Maltais said.
READ: “The opportunity is a privilege”: Emma Maltais on playing for Team Canada and the impact of the PWHL
As she suits up for her fifth world championship, Maltais thinks that the level of play will be higher than ever this year, thanks to the maturity of the PWHL, now in its second season. Many European players who have come overseas to play in the new league will return to be leaders on their national teams. And the mixing of Team Canada and Team USA players on their PWHL teams has given athletes greater exposure to different systems and coaches.
“I think just coming together overall [in the PWHL], we are all stronger players,” said Maltais. “So, you can expect an even higher calibre of play, and that lends to even higher competitiveness.”
The upcoming world championship will be the final major international women’s hockey tournament to take place ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Similarly to the 4 Nations Face-Off, the tournament will be a prime opportunity for nations to test-drive potential rosters that we may see take to the ice in Milan in February.
At the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada was led by coach Jon Cooper, who is set to serve as head coach of the men’s hockey team at Milano Cortina 2026. On the women’s side, world championship head coach Troy Ryan is also set to lead Team Canada at Milano Cortina 2026.
Milano Cortina 2026 will be the first Olympic Winter Games since the establishment of the PWHL as a league. The Games will take place in the middle of the league’s third season.
Team Canada’s world championship roster features a mix of experienced veterans and rising talents, including 18 athletes who were part of last year’s gold medal-winning team, and five who will make their worlds debut in the maple leaf.
“We have a great mix of a core that’s been playing together and been in this business together for a long time, so there’s a lot of trust, and we know each other really well,” said Jenner, a three-time Olympic medallist with Team Canada. “But we’ve also got some young, really talented players at their first world championship, so it’s going to be really exciting to bring those players into the fold. I think they’re going to make an immediate impact.”
READ: Team Canada women’s hockey veteran Brianne Jenner offers wisdom and leadership
Despite this being her fifth worlds, Maltais is hesitant to refer to herself as a veteran, in part because of the gravitas that players like Jenner and Marie-Philip Poulin, heading into her 12th world championship and affectionately known as “Captain Clutch”, bring to the team.
“I don’t really consider myself a veteran quite yet, just with the amount of amazing players we have that have been on the team way longer than me, and just their presence, experience, and wisdom,” said Maltais.
Maltais is particularly excited for her former teammates from Ohio State University, Jennifer Gardiner and Sophie Jacques, to make their world championship debuts. Maltais plans on passing along the advice that Jill Saulnier gave to her at her first world championship.
“I remember Jill Saulnier, telling me: ‘Just take it all in!’” said Maltais “I know it can be intimidating, not because of the women themselves, but because of what they’ve accomplished, right? So, hopefully I can help them with that.”
As one of those long-standing players, Jenner echoes the team’s culture of focus, but not overthinking. Her advice to rookies would be not to dwell too long on mistakes, because they’re going to happen.
“Hockey is a game of mistakes, and we all make them. I think our team especially, we play our best when we play confident, we play free, and we enjoy ourselves,” Jenner said. “So that’s kind of the attitude that we like to give off to those young players, so that they don’t overthink things. We have high standards on our team in terms of work ethic, but they wouldn’t be getting this opportunity if they didn’t already have that. So just be themselves. Don’t sweat any of the mistakes.”
Team Canada action at the IIHF Women’s World Championship will kick off against Finland on Thursday, April 10 at 1:00pm ET.
