Fans watch Canadian women pursue Olympic hockey gold against U.S.

A dose of national pride and a gold medal were held in the balance on Thursday as fans across Canada gathered to watch the women’s team pursue Olympic hockey greatness against the United States.

Classes at some Ontario schools paused Thursday for students to watch a real-time lesson in history and symbolism as the puck dropped on the greatest rivalry in women’s hockey, imbued with recent geopolitical tensions of the fraught Canada-U.S. relationship. 

School boards in Ontario were directed by the province to allow students to tune into Thursday’s game, as well as the men’s upcoming semifinal on Friday. 

The gymnasium at Bessborough Drive Elementary and Middle School in Toronto’s east end transformed into a watch party with hundreds of young fans. Twelve-year-old Samantha McDonald said she believes Canada had learned from their 5-0 preliminary round defeat against the U.S. and was ready to defend the gold. 

“I do think that Canada can win if they put their heart out there and they leave everything out on the ice,” she said.

The women would need their best as the U.S. has been the class of the tournament. Canada holds the all-time advantage with the women winning four of their six Olympic gold medal matchups against the Americans.

Canada struck first with a dazzling short-handed goal early in the second period. 

Hockey metaphors such as “Elbows up” have abounded in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to tariff and annex Canada. In the nation’s capital, chants of “Go Canada Go” broke out among dozens of people gathered at a local Ottawa bar. 

Leah Stolarski and her daughter Beatrice recently immigrated to Canada from the United States.

Stolarski said it’s a very “politically tense” time and that she and her daughter are happy to be in Canada and are rooting for the Canadian women’s team.

“We’re happy to celebrate with other Canadians,” Stolarski said. “We’re very happy to represent our new home.”

The bar was peppered with sweaters and shirts of the Ottawa Charge, the hometown team of the upstart Professional Women’s Hockey League in its second season. Teammates turned to rivals at the Olympics with three Charge players suited up for Canada and two for the U.S. 

“We got to see so much great women’s hockey in advance of this final game,” said Jenn Drew, watching from Ottawa. 

Drew, who grew up in a family where “girls didn’t play hockey,” says she’s pleased to see the women’s game celebrated. 

“It just warms my heart and made me feel so wonderful about the position of women’s sports in this country.” 

Across the country, health-care waiting rooms, mall plazas and libraries hosted impromptu watch parties for the legions of fans cheering on Canada’s team. 

A Halifax physiotherapy clinic handed out coffee and Timbits in its waiting room to complement the game beamed on the flat screen TVs.

David Kachan, the owner of the clinic, said his team and many patients have been elated watching Canadian athletes compete and succeed in the Winter Olympics.

“We’re having a ball with it … some patients are phoning in to say they’re coming in 15 or 20 minutes before their appointment so they can get in some of the game,” he said in an interview Thursday.
“We have these remarkable Canadian athletes doing amazing things … it’s really easy to get behind that.”

As the gold medal game got underway Thursday afternoon, several physiotherapists and patients had their eyes glued to the screen. A number of them could be heard gasping as Canada’s goalie made a save.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026. 

— With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa, Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax and Sharif Hassan in Toronto.