A team in transition: What comes next for Canada's women's hockey program?

Long-time Canadian women's national hockey team head coach Troy Ryan says it's "probably the right time for change" behind the bench, as the team looks ahead to the 2030 Olympics.

Over nearly a decade in charge of the senior national team, Ryan led Canada to Olympic gold in 2022, three world championships, and most recently, silver at the 2026 Olympics.

"I think win or lose in this situation that this was a typical point of transitioning, to some extent," said Ryan, whose contract with Hockey Canada expires later this year.

Internally, there have been conversations between Ryan and Hockey Canada "over the last few years" about when to transition to a different role within the program or out of the program entirely.

Ryan mentioned assistants Kori Cheverie and Caroline Ouellette as coaches who deserve to get future opportunities with the program.

"They’ve worked with me as assistant coaches for a number of years and at some point, it’s someone else’s opportunity and someone else’s stage to do their thing," Ryan said.

It's one decision that looms for Hockey Canada days after the team came home with silver, and at a time when women's hockey is in a period of change.

The PWHL has changed the way Hockey Canada selects its national team and prepares for major tournaments, with less time available together as a team.

At the same time, the international calendar is poised to change significantly, with the world championship moving to the fall, and the addition of a new spring tournament that could help close the development gap for younger players.

As Hockey Canada looks ahead, it plans to evaluate its women's program to determine the path forward in the new environment, according to Scott Salmond, the organization's senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations.

"We’ve got to take some time to reflect and kind of see what we’ve learned over the two years with the PWHL, and where that’s going and how that’s impacts our programs," Salmond said in an interview.

Two minutes and four seconds separated Canada from a second straight Olympic gold medal.

Questions swirled throughout the tournament about whether the Canadians could beat a powerhouse American team. They almost did just that, playing their best game of the tournament — until a goal from American captain Hilary Knight tied the game at the end of the third period. U.S. defender Megan Keller ended it in overtime.

"We didn’t win the gold medal like we wanted to or expected to or knew we were capable of winning, but I think the way we played and the way that we stood together and showed up with so much heart and so much passion, I think we laid it all on the line," assistant captain Blayre Turnbull said.