The Canada vs. U.S. rivalry was revived during the NHL 4 Nations Tip-Off event in February. The buzz around this matchup was at an all-time high, some likely because of the heightened political tension between the countries as of late.
A peak of 16.2 million viewers between the two nations tuned in. After ending the 4 Nations Tip-Off tied at one win a piece in head-to-head matchups, I decided to go back and take a look at the rest of the history surrounding this rivalry.
Before the 4 Nations Tip-Off , the last time these two squads faced each other was during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In that early round game, held on Feb. 12, 2022, the U.S defeated Canada 4-2. However, both teams competed in that game without their NHL players, as the league did not participate in the 2022 Olympics.
When both countries are fielding their best available NHL players in their lineups, Canada has 13 wins all-time in head-to-head matchups, while the U.S. has just four in men’s hockey. As for women’s hockey, Canada leads that all-time matchup too, with 103 wins to the U.S. 78.
Canada has long dominated the global stage in hockey, but contrary to what their record against the U.S. would show, that gap is quickly closing. The caliber of talent on other countries’ rosters is beginning to close, as could be seen during the 4 Nations Tip-Off . In their first game of the tournament, they were pushed to overtime against a Swedish team that was a heavy underdog. The two teams ended regulation tied 3-3, and it took over six minutes of overtime before wing Mitch Marner could salvage a win for Canada.
Not only did they barely get a win, but the team blew a 3-1 lead in the third period to allow Sweden to force overtime in the first place. An overtime win against Sweden and a loss to the U.S. is not what most Canadian fans expected from their team. Even though Canada was still able to get revenge on the U.S. in the championship game, the bigger picture is that even with their best players available, Canada can and has been beaten.
The other sport in which the rivalry between Canada and the U.S. is most popular is basketball. Compared to in hockey, the U.S. dominates the head-to-head matchup against Canada in basketball with a record of 5-0 in men’s Olympic games and 3-2 in other international competitions.
While they rarely both field their best players in matchups in different international competitions, the record in the Olympics shows that the gap has not yet been closed from a talent perspective. Unfortunately, the two teams didn’t meet in the 2024 Olympics, where Canada fielded what is likely their most talented roster to date. However, the two teams did play in an exhibition game on July 10, 2024, before the Olympics began. In this game, guards Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry led the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively as the U.S. won comfortably 86-72. Both teams fielded their best players, but the intensity was lower than usual because it was only an exhibition game.
The rivalry between the two nations is getting more and more heated as years go on. It likely won’t stop anytime soon, considering the increased political tensions and the closing talent gaps in both sports. Canada dominates hockey, while the U.S. gets its payback in basketball.
