What to know for the women's hockey world championship
CBC
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The Canadian women's hockey team arrived at last year's world championship tournament in Brampton, Ont., as the undisputed queens of women's hockey.
Following a barren stretch where the rival United States won five straight major titles leading up to the pandemic, Canada reclaimed the world title in a Calgary bubble in 2021 and retained it in 2022 while also recapturing the Olympic gold medal that year in Beijing — beating the U.S. in the final each time. Canada had also scored a dramatic victory over the Americans in that season's Rivalry Series, rallying from down three games to none to win the final four contests.
But, despite enjoying home-ice advantage in front of supportive crowds in the hockey-mad Greater Toronto Area, the Canadians got knocked off their throne in Brampton. After nearly getting toppled in the quarterfinals by Sweden's red-hot goalie (Emma Soderberg made 51 saves before Sarah Nurse scored in overtime to rescue her team from a massive upset), Canada coughed up four unanswered goals in the third period of the final against the Americans to lose 6-3 and watch their jubilant archrivals hoist the world-championship trophy on Canadian ice.
Canada earned a measure of revenge this season by once again rallying from a 3-0 deficit to win the Rivalry Series, capped by an emphatic 6-1 rout in Game 7 in Minnesota in February. But the Canadians are seeking a full payback at this year's world championship in Utica, N.Y., where group play began today as Canada prepares for its opener on Thursday night.
Here's what to know for the tournament:
Yes, Canada and the U.S. will probably meet in the final again.
We'll spare you the suspense right away. While it's possible that another country could upset one of the two superpowers in the knockout rounds (Sweden almost did it last year), history strongly suggests another Canada-U.S. showdown for gold is looming.
The cross-border rivals have played each other in 21 of the 22 women's world championship finals, and no other country has ever won one. They've duopolized the Olympics too, meeting in six of the seven women's finals and winning all of the gold medals. Add those numbers up and, that's right, Canada and the U.S. have squared off in 27 of the 29 major women's hockey championship games.
Not that this is a bad thing. The Canadian and American women have given us some of the most memorable international hockey moments of this century. 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 the raw ecstasy and agony following Canada's incredible comeback to win the classic 2014 Olympic title game in Sochi. Their world-championship showdowns have delivered plenty of drama too, with nearly half of the Canada-U.S. finals since 2000 decided in either overtime or a shootout.
While Canada is sticking with mostly the same veteran roster that fell short at the worlds last year, the champion Americans are adding some fresh ingredients to the rivalry by bringing 14 college players to Utica.
This is the first world championship since the birth of the Professional Women's Hockey League.
The launch of the six-team PWHL in January finally gave the Canadian and U.S. national team players a proper league of their own. Prior to that, they'd toiled in the barnstorming Dream Gap Tour under the banner of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association while trying to build a more "sustainable" alternative to the rival Premier Hockey Federation.
The PWHL began taking shape in June when a group led by billionaire Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought out and folded the PHF and quickly struck a labour deal with the PWHPA. Franchises were awarded to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, Minnesota and New York; each team signed a few star players; a draft took place in September; and the PWHL's inaugural 24-game season took off on New Year's Day in Toronto.