Get ready for another Canada-U.S. hockey showdown

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Last year's women's hockey world championship ended the way pretty much all of them do, with another thrilling Canada-U.S. final. This time, unlikely hero Danielle Serdachny's overtime goal gave the Canadians a dramatic 6-5 win in Utica, N.Y, avenging the Americans' victory in 2023 in Brampton, Ont.

Since the United States' run of five straight world titles from 2013 to 2019 (the worlds are not held in Olympic years), Canada has captured three of the last four while also reclaiming the Olympic gold medal in 2022. The Canadians have also won four consecutive Rivalry Series, taking the deciding Game 5 this February in Summerside, P.E.I.

So, Canada clearly has the edge right now in this battle of women's hockey superpowers. But it's a thin one: six of the last seven world-title games have been decided by a goal (five of them in overtime or a shootout) along with three straight Olympic gold-medal games (two in OT or a shootout).

Here's what else to know ahead of the 2025 women's world championship, which opens Wednesday in the Czech Republic.

Canada and the U.S. will almost certainly meet in the final again.

We like to think that anything can happen in sports, but that's not really true for international women's hockey. Canada and the U.S. have now played each other in 22 of the 23 women's world championship finals (host Finland upset the Canadians in the 2019 semis) and no other country has ever won one. The cross-border archrivals have owned the Olympics too, meeting in six of the seven women's finals (Sweden shocked the Americans in the 2006 semis) and winning every gold medal. That means 28 of the 30 major women's hockey championships in history have ended with a Canada-U.S. final.

While a lot of sports fans seem to prefer parity, there's no doubt that the Canada-U.S. rivalry has given us some unforgettable moments over the years. Think of an enraged Hayley Wickenheiser accusing the Americans of trampling the Canadian flag before Canada's victory in the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City. Or the Canadian women gleefully chugging beers and puffing cigars on the ice after capturing the gold in Vancouver in 2010. Or Canada's incredible comeback to win the classic 2014 Olympic title game in Sochi. Sometimes, familiarity breeds great theatre.

HOCKEY NORTH | Natalie Spooner previews Team Canada at the women's worlds:

It feels like there's more on the line this time.

As if the rivalry needs more emotional heft, this year's world championship will play out against the backdrop of Donald Trump's infuriating trade war and annexation threats. We saw what these elements can do to a hockey game back in February when Canada and the U.S. squared off for a pair of extremely emotional matchups at the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. The first one began with fans in Montreal booing the U.S. anthem, followed by three fights in nine seconds. The second one started with Canadian-anthem jeering from the Boston crowd and ended with Connor McDavid's cathartic overtime goal to win the tournament.

It's just too bad the women's worlds are taking place in Europe and not in front of a deeply nationalistic crowd in Canada or the United States, because the fans' fury was a big part of what made the 4 Nations so riveting.

Some players to watch:

Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada): The 34-year-old captain was banged up heading into last year's worlds and did not score a goal before the final. But her uncanny knack for clutch goals returned when her team needed it most. Poulin's bar-down beauty in the second period evened the score in the world-title game, and she scored again in the third to put Canada in the lead before Serdachny won it in OT. Poulin currently leads the Professional Women's Hockey League with 17 goals in 27 games this season for the Montreal Victoire.