US men's hockey team to face Canada, vying for Olympic gold medal

The U.S. team is vying for its first gold medal in men's hockey since 1980.

February 20, 2026, 7:44 PM

The U.S. men's ice hockey team is set to face off against Canada on Sunday in a highly anticipated gold medal showdown -- and one of the last events of the 2026 Winter Games.

The U.S. team, which is vying for its first gold medal in men's hockey since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union, secured its spot in the final with a 6-2 win over Slovakia on Friday.

The last time the U.S. men's team medaled at the Olympics was at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, taking silver.

Jack Eichel of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Slovakia in the second period during their men's semifinals ice hockey game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Canadian team secured their spot in Sunday's game with a 3-2 win over Finland in Friday's semi-final.

The last time the Canadian men's team won gold was at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Jack Eichel of the United States scoring a goal against Slovakia goalie Samuel Hlavaj in the second period during their men's semifinals ice hockey game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The U.S.-Canada men's match-up comes after the U.S. women's hockey team won the gold against Canada with a 2-1 win in overtime on Thursday, finishing the games with an undefeated 7-0 record.

Nathan MacKinnon of Canada celebrates scoring the game winning goal in the third period against Finland in their men's semifinal ice hockey game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The last time the U.S. and Canadian men's hockey teams faced each other was during the 4 Nations Faceoff in Boston in February.

Coming amid the height of the political tensions over President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in overtime.

The Winter Olympics gold medal game is set for 8:10 a.m. ET on Sunday.

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