Canada vs USA Continues To Grow as Hockey's Top Rivalry

Published on February 18th, 2025 12:48 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The top international rivalry in hockey used to be Canada vs Russia.

Over the past few decades, the game of hockey has grown in popularity in the United States as the NHL has continued to expand south of the 48th parallel.

This has produced a noticeable uptick in the quality of hockey players in the United States. American players such as Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes are now some of the top players in the world.

The United States has caught up to Canada over the past couple of decades in terms of top-end player quality. This has translated into a much more even competition between the two sides, which has helped to ignite the greatest rivalry in international hockey - Canada vs USA.

Historically speaking, the USA has not done well against Canada. For instance, over the course of 19 games played between the two sides at the Winter Olympics, the United States has only won 4 games.

The true rivalry between the two sides started at the 1991 Canada Cup. Wayne Gretzky, who was in his absolute prime at the time, was viciously cross-checked by defenseman Gary Suter. Canada went on to win the 1991 Canada Cup, but superstar Wayne Gretzky never fully recovered from the hit, and was battling through the injury for years.

At the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the United States, led by Brett Hull and Mike Richter, shocked Canada by winning the title.

The two sides would square off in the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics, which was held in the United States. Canada, looking to rebound following a very disappointing showing at the 1998 Winter Olympics, defeated the United States by a score of 5-2. The team was led to victory by the likes of Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman.

Another high point in the rivalry came at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, when the two sides squared off once again in the gold medal game. The two sides were very evenly matched, though Sidney Crosby managed to score in overtime to give his country the gold medal.

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which was meant to be an interesting exhibition instead of the traditional All-Star game, as re-ignited the rivalry between the two sides. The first game between the USA and Canada, which was won by the United States, featured multiple fights and chippy play. The two sides will square off in the finals of the event, and this should be one of the most-watched hockey games of all time in North America, as interest in the event has skyrocketed.

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The NHL has been looking for a way to gain traction in the United States, and a heated Canada/USA rivalry might be just the way to do it.