Olympic viewing guide: Archrivals Canada, U.S. square off for women's hockey gold

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Charles Hamelin's last waltz ended on the sweetest note. In the final Olympic skate of his brilliant career, the Canadian short track icon helped the men's relay team win gold this morning. The walk-off victory gave Hamelin, 37, his sixth Olympic medal, tying him with long track skater Cindy Klassen for the most ever by a Canadian in the Winter Games.

It also gave 24-year-old Steven Dubois his third medal of these Olympics, matching long tracker Isabelle Weidemann for the Canadian lead in Beijing. Both skaters won one of each colour.

As for everything else on Day 12… well, you might want to look away. The Canadian men's hockey team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Sweden, while the women's curling team will have to fight for its playoff life after a crushing loss to China (more on that below).

On the other hand, the men's curling team advanced to the playoffs without lifting a broom, and multiple Canadians have a shot at a ski cross medal tonight. And, of course, another golden opportunity awaits in the most anticipated contest of these Olympics: the women's hockey final between Canada and the United States.

Here's what to watch on Wednesday night and Thursday morning:

The matchup we've all been waiting for happens tonight at 11:10 p.m. ET, when the archrivals square off in the final for the sixth time in the seven Winter Olympics since women's hockey was added to the program.

Canada won four golds in a row before the U.S. snapped a 20-year Olympic title drought by beating the champs in a shootout in 2018 in South Korea. The Canadians returned the favour at last summer's world championship in Calgary, halting the Americans' run of five consecutive world titles with an overtime goal by Marie-Philip Poulin.

The Canadian captain's knack for scoring clutch goals against the U.S. borders on absurd. Poulin potted both goals in Canada's 2-0 win in the gold-medal game in Vancouver in 2010, and scored the late tying goal and the overtime winner in the epic 2014 Olympic final. The overtime magician was selected as one of Canada's flag-bearers for the opening ceremony in Beiing, where she and teammate Rebecca Johnston are both going for their third gold medal in four Olympic appearances.

Other Canadian players to watch tonight include Sarah Nurse, who leads the tournament with 16 points in six games as she chases her first Olympic gold; veteran Brianne Jenner, who's tops with nine goals; and 21-year-old Olympic rookie Sarah Fillier, who has eight goals and is being talked about as possibly Canada's next great player. Olympic tournament MVP Mélodie Daoust is back from an injury suffered in the opening game, recording an assist in Canada's 10-3 demolition of Switzerland in the semifinals. 

Canada has been an absolute wrecking ball in Beijing, outscoring its opponents 54-8 so far, including a 4-2 win over the U.S. in the group stage. The Americans have not looked as impressive, posting an aggregate goal advantage of "only" 28-8 in their six games. Plus, they're without star forward Brianna Decker after she broke her leg in the opener.

These factors have helped create an usual situation for the gold-medal game. In a matchup that is almost always a stone-cold toss-up, Canada is suddenly heavily favoured to beat the U.S. The betting odds posted by one respected, non-Canadian-based bookmaker imply Canada has about a 65 per cent chance of winning.

Don't count out the defending champs, though. Despite their relatively lacklustre goal differential, the Americans have outshot their opponents by a significantly wider margin than Canada has. This dynamic also played out in their head-to-head meeting, where the U.S. piled up a 53-27 edge in shots. Terrific goaltending by Ann-Renée Desbiens helped the Canadians get the win there, while the Americans' cold sticks have hampered them throughout the tournament. But if they get some better luck tonight and their shots start finding the twine, the odds could quickly shift in their favour. Read a full preview of tonight's Canada-U.S. showdown here.

WATCH | Canada's hockey journey to the Olympic gold-medal game against the U.S.: