Looking back at Canada vs. USA history in men’s best-on-best hockey
One of men’s hockey’s top rivalries is back, baby.
Fans have become accustomed to the intense women’s hockey battles between Canada and the United States for nearly 30 years now. Men’s hockey fans haven’t been as fortunate – with best-on-best so rare, meetings between the two North American juggernauts have been tough to come by. That’s especially true over the past decade: with the NHL backing out of the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, we’ve only seen the two teams in true top-level action three times.
Canada has typically had the upper hand, especially at the Olympics. But USA Hockey has come such a long way in recent years, with numerous gold medals at the junior level, and, most recently, top spot at the 2025 World Championship. The talent gap has never been closer between these two teams, making Sunday’s game one you’re not going to want to miss (even with the 8:00 AM ET start time).
Today, we’re breaking down how the 14 games between the two teams have gone in best-on-best competition. For this, we’re focusing on everything from the past 30 years. The NHL announced its Olympic participation during the summer of 1995, making the World Cup of Hockey the following year extra special.
Spoiler alert: the overall record between the two teams might surprise you:
World Cup of Hockey 1996
USA 5, Canada 3
Canada 4, USA 3
USA 5, Canada 2
USA 5, Canada 2
For many, the United States’ roster at the 1996 World Cup was the best ever. The Americans went a perfect 3-0 during the group stage thanks to the likes of Brett Hull, John LeClair, Doug Weight, Brian Leetch and Keith Tkachuk jamming up the scoring race. Chris Chelios would go on to be named as one of the two top defenders, while goaltender Mike Richter won both tournament MVP and top goalie honors.
The two teams met in the group stage, with many expecting another wild game after the Americans won 7-5 in the final pre-tournament matchup. The United States would once again come out on top, winning 5-3 over Philadelphia for their first victory of the tournament. They’d make their way back to the final as many projected, where Canada would take Game 1 of the best-of-three series. The Americans would dominate the rest of the way, winning the next two games 5-2 to secure the championship.
Nagano 1998
USA 4, Canada 1
This was the first best-on-best Olympic tournament, which, as you could expect, had its fair share of excitement. Nobody knew what to expect beyond some of what was showcased at the World Cup two years prior. Still, the Olympics were different – everyone wanted to become an Olympic champion.
USA’s roster featured the likes of Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull, Keith Tkachuk, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter, among others. Truly one of the best rosters in team history. Canada’s side had Steve Yzerman, Chris Pronger, Eric Lindros, Joe Sakic, Wayne Gretzky and a goaltending trio of Curtis Joseph, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Canada came away with a convincing 4-1 victory thanks to two goals from Wayne Primeau, and one each from Joe Sakic and Rob Zamuner.
Hopes were particularly high for Canada in the playoff round. The Americans weren’t able to build upon their World Cup success and was knocked out by Dominik Hasek and the Czechs in the quarterfinals. Canada also lost to the Czechs in one of the most dramatic games in tournament history, then fell to Finland in the bronze medal game, losing a medal altogether. By all accounts, it was a shock – most expected Canada to go the distance.
Salt Lake City 2002
Canada 5, USA 2
To this day, it’s hard to escape the scenes of 2002. It’s one of the biggest gold medals in Canadian sporting history – the one that proved why they call hockey “Canada’s Game.” Played in the United States, the U.S. entered the final with hopes of getting the job done in front of a crowd filled with stars and stripes.
The game was a back-and-forth thriller until Canada took control in the second half. Sakic and Jarome Iginla each scored twice, leading Canada to the convincing 5-2 victory. The win ended a 50-year Olympic gold medal drought for Canada’s men. For the Americans, the silver medal was their first of any color since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. Famously, this game saw the birth of the “Lucky Loonie,” buried at center ice by a Canadian icemaker, which became the symbol of Canada reclaiming its throne on the top of the podium for the first time in the NHL participation era. The score was a bit one-sided, but the hockey was tremendous.
World Cup of Hockey 2004
USA 5, Canada 3
Canada 2, USA 1
Remember those mustard-colored throwback jerseys? Those were cool. Unique. Interesting. A one-off we’ll never see again, but one that, for a special event, was cool to look at, at least. It It was also the last time we saw NHL players competing in an NHL-sanctioned event for a whole year, with the lockout announcement coming two days later.
So, some remember it fondly. Especially of the unique format with seven different host cities across North America and Europe. Prior to the tournament, both Canada and the United States won a pre-tournament before kicking off the event for real on Aug. 31, 2004. Martin St. Louis and Joe Sakic wowed the 21,000+ fans in attendance, while Bill Guerin – USA’s current Olympic GM – scored the lone goal on the other side. Despite the possibility of an all-North American final, the United States fell 2-1 to Finland in the semifinal, with Canada going on to win gold.
Vancouver 2010
USA 5, Canada 3
Canada 3, USA 2 (OT)
Like Canada in 2002, the Americans wanted to steal the spotlight on enemy territory. The two teams met twice in Vancouver, marking the first best-on-best matchup between them in over five and a half years. The Americans ended the round-robin with a big 5-3 victory, with Brian Rafalski leading the way with a two-goal, three-point effort. Chris Drury, Jamie Lagenbrunner and Ryan Kesler had the other American goals, while Eric Staal, Dany Heatley and Sidney Crosby found the net for the Canadians.
With USA winning the top spot in Group A, they had the advantage all the way to the gold medal game. Canada, meanwhile, was the sixth-ranked team and would need to play their way out of the qualification round. Canada never trailed the tournament again, beating Germany 8-2 and Russia 7-3 before beating Slovakia 3-2 in the semifinal.
That set up a gold medal rematch, and it was a game for the ages. The Canadians got off to a two-goal lead thanks to Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry, only for Kesler to make it 2-1. Then, with under a minute to go, Zach Parise scored one of the biggest goals of his career to set up a wild overtime. The two teams traded opportunities, but it would be Crosby who would add to his already incredible CV by scoring the golden goal – one of the biggest moments in Canadian hockey history. Over 26.5 million Canadians watched at least part of the game, while it became the most-watched game in the United States since 1980.
Sochi 2014
Canada 1, USA 0
If you liked high-scoring affairs, the 2014 Olympics probably weren’t for you. Canada, in particular, was a defensive juggernaut, allowing just one goal in three playoff games – and it came against Latvia, of all teams. One of the shutdown victims was the United States, which met Canada in the semifinals. Jamie Benn scored just 1:41 into the second period, while Carey Price stopped all 31 shots sent his way. Jonathan Quick was even more impressive at the other end, turning away 36 chances. But for the Americans, it was a disappointing loss after finishing as the No. 2 seed in the round-robin while tying for the round-robin lead with a goal differential of 15.
The Americans were unable to move past the loss, and finished with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Finland in the bronze medal game. Canada, meanwhile, shut out Sweden 3-0, with Jonathan Toews, Crosby and Chris Kunitz pulling Canada ahead. It won’t be remembered as a thrilling final, but Canada isn’t too worried about.
World Cup of Hockey 2016
Canada 4, USA 2
The 2016 World Cup saw a Canadian team at its absolute peak. Two years removed from Olympic gold, Canada looked ready to roll through the revamped eight-team tournament, which saw both Canada and USA missing some top talent who were instead loaned to Team North America. Canada dismantled a U.S. team built specifically to take on the Canadiens. Some talented players were left off the roster – Phil Kessel, anyone?
USA’s thought process was about winning through grit and physicality rather than pure skill. And at one point, it looked like the right call. The Americans took an early 1-0 lead, but Canada responded with four straight goals, including two from Matt Duchene, to win 4-2. The loss eliminated the U.S. from the tournament before the medal round even began, and left a sour taste in the mouths of American fans who wouldn’t get to see their top talent play for another decade. Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron were the stars for Canada as the team went on to sweep Europe in the championship game.
4 Nations Face-Off 2025
USA 3, Canada 1
Canada 3, USA 2 (OT)
After a nine-year wait for best-on-best hockey, the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off gave fans the dopamine hit they’d been craving. We already knew the NHL was headed to the Olympics the following year, so this was a nice tease to get everyone set. It was also the first time we got to see many of the game’s top stars playing for their country in best-on-best competition, including Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Aleksander Barkov and William Nylander, among others.
Nobody will forget the first meeting between the two teams, with three separate fights breaking out in the first period. Fighting isn’t allowed in IIHF competition – but the 4 Nations tournament followed NHL rules. The U.S. defeated Canada 3-1 in the round-robin, giving them high hopes for the playoffs. But once the series shifted from Montreal to Boston, that’s when Canada got the last laugh. Canada got things started with Nathan MacKinnon’s first-period goal, but the USA would take the lead before the midway point in the game, thanks to Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson. Sam Bennett would tie the game up at 34:00 to force overtime, only for the game’s biggest superstar – McDavid – to capitalize on a pass from Mitch Marner to win in overtime.
The victory extended Canada’s best-on-best championship streak to 23 years. Not only did it show the Americans could keep up, but they could also outplay the Canadians.
Full list of best-on-best games between Canada and the United States
(Exhibition games are not listed)
| Event | Winner | Result | Need to Know |
| 1996 World Cup | USA | USA 5 – 3 CAN | Preliminary round game; USA’s victory helped them secure first in North American pool |
| 1996 World Cup | Canada | CAN 4 – 3 USA | Canada wins Game 1 of best-of-three |
| 1996 World Cup | USA | USA 5 – 2 CAN | USA wins Game 2 of best-of-three |
| 1996 World Cup | USA | USA 5 – 2 CAN | Gold medal game |
| 1998 Olympics | USA | CAN 4 – 1 USA | Final group-stage game for both teams; Canada finished first in Group D |
| 2002 Olympics | Canada | CAN 5 – 2 USA | Canada’s first gold medal of the NHL era, and first since 1952 in Oslo |
| 2004 World Cup | USA | USA 5 – 3 CAN | Preliminary round game |
| 2004 World Cup | Canada | CAN 2 – 1 USA | Semifinal win for Canada; Canada later won gold |
| 2010 Olympics | USA | USA 5 – 3 CAN | Group stage; USA wins group |
| 2010 Olympics | Canada | CAN 3 – 2 USA (OT) | Canada’s second gold medal of the NHL era; better known for Crosby’s Golden Goal |
| 2014 Olympics | Canada | CAN 1 – 0 USA | Semifinal win for Canada; Canada went on to win gold against Sweden |
| 2016 World Cup | Canada | CAN 4 – 2 USA | Preliminary round win for Canada; Canada won gold |
| 2025 4 Nations | USA | USA 3 – 1 CAN | Preliminary round game; better known for having three fights |
| 2025 4 Nations | Canada | CAN 3 – 2 USA (OT) | McDavid scored the overtime winner in the final |
| Record | 7-7 |
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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