Canada's Olympic hockey team took the ice against the US today without Marie-Philip Poulin, after the superstar captain exited Monday's 5-1 win over Czechia with a lower-body injury.

The Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed Poulin's absence roughly five hours before face-off, citing the injury without elaborating on its severity. The 34-year-old, nicknamed "Captain Clutch," is considered day-to-day, with her availability for Thursday's rescheduled game against Finland and Saturday's quarterfinal both uncertain.

Poulin's absence delivers a significant blow to Canada's Olympic hockey defense. She is Canada's active leader against the US with 74 points across 104 career matchups, earning her nickname after scoring three separate gold medal-clinching goals ahead of her fifth Winter Olympics.

Her injury also puts the marquee Olympic hockey rivalry with US captain Hilary Knight on ice, as Knight competes in her fifth — and final — Winter Games. Team USA enters the game as tournament favorites, after sweeping Canada 4-0 in last winter's heated Rivalry Series. Then, the US outscored the Canadians by a 24-7 combined margin, including a 10-4 blowout marking the most goals Canada has ever allowed in international play.

Despite the injury, Canada forward Laura Stacey — and Poulin's wife — expressed confidence in her teammates.

"I don't know where she's at, but I do know, no matter what, we're all going to stick together," she said. "We are going to support her and I know she's going to support us, so whatever happens I know that our team is in great hands."

USA hockey stayed perfect at the 2026 Winter Olympics, downing Switzerland 5-0 on Monday to enter Tuesday's heavyweight clash with defending champion Canada on a 3-0 group-stage record.

Current NCAA stars Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin) and Joy Dunne (Ohio State) posted a goal and two assists each in Monday's victory, while PWHL stars Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka, and Haley Winn rounded out the US scoresheet.

Team captain Hilary Knight also added two assists in the tilt to reach 31 career Olympic points — one shy of matching Jenny Potter's 2010 US record.

Despite the final scoreline, Switzerland goaltender Andrea Braendli put together a standout performance in net, with the former Ohio State standout saving 45 total shots — including stopping a barrage of 35 shots through the first two periods before the US hammered in three goals to open the third.

"Switzerland's goalie was awesome. She had some kind of force field going back there," US head coach John Wroblewski said. "We just needed to take a deep breath."

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Up next for the USA is Tuesday's highly anticipated tilt against rival Canada — a matchup largely considered to be a gold-medal game preview between the only two nations to ever top the Olympic women's hockey podium.

Although Canada will bring their own spotless 2026 Olympics record to Tuesday's ice, the future is now uncertain for the reigning champs after team captain Marie-Philip Poulin suffered an apparent lower-body injury in their 5-1 win over Czechia on Monday — leaving the star center officially out of the group-stage rivalry clash.

How to watch USA vs Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics women's hockey tournament

Team USA will battle Canada in round-robin group play at 2:10 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on USA Network.

USA Hockey just keeps getting hotter, blanking Finland 5-0 on Saturday to open the 2026 Winter Olympics on a 2-0 group-stage run.

Five-time Olympian and team captain Hilary Knight tied the US Olympic women's goal record with her 14th career tally in Saturday's win, with Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, and Megan Keller also adding to the scoresheet.

"I just love scoring and just the pure elation of finding the back of the net," the 36-year-old said postgame. "It's pure excitement and it's fun to celebrate."

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As a team, the US overwhelmingly outshot Finland 49-11, bringing the Stateside squad to a total of 18 straight Olympic wins against non-Canada opponents — a streak dating back nearly 20 years.

Unbeaten Team USA will next take on one-loss Switzerland on Monday afternoon, with the US looking to stay perfect ahead of Tuesday's showdown with rival Canada.

The pair last faced off in April, when the US downed the Swiss 5-0 at the 2025 IIHF World Championship — with Knight claiming the all-time Worlds assist record in the process.

Switzerland enters Monday's matchup on a split record, opening with a 4-3 shootout win over Czechia on Friday before losing their second group-stage clash 4-0 to Canada.

How to watch USA Hockey vs Switzerland tonight

Team USA faces off against Switzerland at 2:40 PM ET on Monday, airing live on USA Network.

USA Hockey is off to a hot start in Milan, taking down Czechia 5-1 on Thursday to open their 2026 Winter Olympics campaign in style.

While Barbora Juříčková registered Czechia's lone tally, Hayley Scamurra scored a brace and Alex Carpenter notched both a goal and an assist in the rout, with Ohio State junior Joy Dunne also finding the back of the net before USA captain Hilary Knight scored the 13th Olympic goal of her career.

"It was incredible," Scamurra told reporters postgame. "Whenever I go out there, I just try to bring all the energy that I can to the team. To be able to produce is the cherry on top."

The US will next turn their attention to Saturday's showdown against Finland, with the Finns still recovering from a norovirus outbreak that postponed their Thursday opener with Canada.

The IOC rescheduled the Finland vs. Canada matchup for next Thursday, but the weekend game remains on the official Olympic hockey schedule.

"I think we're planning on playing Finland, until somebody tells me differently," said USA Hockey head coach John Wroblewski. "But, I hope that they're okay. That's the most important part."

How to watch USA Hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Team USA will take on Finland at 10:40 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on USA Network.

PWHL fans can now own a piece of history from Team USA captain Hilary Knight, as the PWHL partnered with The Realest on an authenticated memorabilia collection.

The result is described as the first fully-authenticated collection of game-used and player-sourced PWHL jerseys, equipment, and other artifacts. However, Knight's game-used Boston Fleet stick and her game-worn jersey headline the drop.

Regarded as one of history's greatest players, Knight is competing in her fifth Olympic Games as Team USA captain. The 36-year-old finished last season tied for PWHL points leader with 29, becoming a Forward of the Year and Billie Jean King MVP Award finalist. She joined Seattle as the franchise's inaugural captain ahead of the 2025/26 season.

"As we enter our third season of unprecedented growth and record-shattering fan support, it was important to preserve our league's history," PWHL VP of merchandising Kate Boyce said.

The collection features memorabilia from all six original franchises plus this year's two expansion teams. Beyond Knight, fans can subsequently browse Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin's 2025 PWHL Playoffs jersey and Minnesota defender Natalie Buchbinder's helmet.

"We set out to make women's sports memorabilia a true category, not an afterthought," said The Realest CEO Scott Keeney.

How to buy PWHL memorabilia featuring Team USA captain Hilary Knight

The PWHL collection is now open for bidding via The Realest at therealest.com/pwhl.

USA Hockey is officially off to the races at the 2026 Winter Olympics, hitting the ice in Milan for their initial group-stage matchup against Czechia on Thursday morning ahead of Friday's Opening Ceremony.

The competition's preliminary round features two groups of five teams, with Team USA squaring off against fellow automatic quarterfinalists Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, and Canada in Group A over the next six days to determine seeding for the knockout rounds.

Meanwhile, the countries comprising Group B — Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan — will concurrently play their round-robin group stage, but with higher stakes: Only the top three finishers from their pool will advance to the knockouts.

"It's a clean slate every time you get to a tournament," Team USA captain Hilary Knight said. "You have to work hard."

The US and Canada enter the eighth edition of the tournament as strong gold-medal favorites, but the rapid rise of the PWHL has produced the deepest field in Olympic history.

Czechia's roster includes eight PWHL players, with a total of 22 PWHL athletes representing six European countries at the Winter Games.

Along with the 16 standouts playing for Team USA and the 23 on Canada's roster, 61 PWHL players — 30% of the entire North American league — are competing on the Olympic ice this month.

"It's only our second Olympics," said Czechia head coach Carla MacLeod, who also helms the PWHL's Ottawa Charge. "But certainly there's a belief in the room that we can go play our best games and see where it takes us."

How to watch USA hockey vs. Czechia at the Winter Olympics

USA Hockey will open their 2026 Winter Olympics against Czechia at 10:40 AM ET on Thursday, with live coverage airing on USA Network.

This year's Olympic hockey schedule is bringing the heat, with the women's tournament kicking off on February 5th in Milan — one day before the Opening Ceremony.

The 2026 Winter Olympics features 10 nations competing across two groups through February 19th, when medal games will determine the podium finishers.

One heated rivalry is at the center of this year's hockey schedule. Defending champions Canada are seeking their sixth Olympic gold, while Team USA enters as the reigning world champions after ousting Canada from the 2025 World Championship.

From the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, as the third-year PWHL has elevated play across all participating nations. Here's everything you need to know.

Which countries feature in the Olympic hockey group stage?

Group A brings together the world's top-ranked teams: United States, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. These five teams automatically qualified based on IIHF world rankings, and were subsequently guaranteed quarterfinal spots. Group B consists of host nation Italy, plus Japan, Sweden, Germany, and France, all earning their positions through qualification tournaments.

Olympic hockey's preliminary rounds run through February 10th, with each team playing four group-stage matches. The knockout rounds follow, with the bronze and gold medal matches slated for February 19th.

Complete 2026 Winter Olympics hockey schedule


Olympic Hockey Schedule: Preliminary Round


Thursday, February 5th (Group stage)

Friday, February 6th (Group stage)

Saturday, February 7th (Group stage)

Sunday, February 8th (Group stage)

Monday, February 9th (Group stage)

Tuesday, February 10th (Group stage)


Olympic Hockey Schedule: Knockout Round

Friday, February 13th (Quarterfinals)

Saturday, February 14th (Quarterfinals)

Monday, February 16th (Semifinals)

Thursday, February 19th

PWHL players made their voices heard this week, as The Athletic published the results of the third-year league's first-ever anonymous player poll on Wednesday, surveying athletes on everything from the best trash-talkers to which nation's team will win Olympic gold at next month's 2026 Winter Games.

Leading the poll's individual accolades is 34-year-old Team Canada and Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, dubbed the PWHL's best player by 80% of respondents.

Poulin's Team USA counterpart, Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight, snagged second as each standout prepares for a fifth career Olympic run.

As for who will win gold in Italy, all but one player predicted a Canada vs. USA Olympic Final, with a 50/50 split on the eventual victor.

Athletes also answered overarching questions about the growing league in the player poll, with Detroit earning the most nods as a PWHL expansion city — though Denver and Chicago also scored double-digit votes.

As for the future face of the league, current New York Sirens forward and 2024 PWHL No. 1 draftee Sarah Fillier narrowly edged out current University of Wisconsin senior and Team USA Olympic defender Caroline Harvey in the players' poll.

Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais beat out Montréal's Abby Roque by one vote for the title of top PWHL trash-talker, though most players tapped her for quantity over quality — an assessment Maltais herself agrees with.

"I'm not trash-talking," clarified the 26-year-old Canadian. "I'm just yapping."

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

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The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

The PWHL is continuing to break records, as Sunday's 2025/26 Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, saw 17,228 fans pack into Capital One Arena to see the No. 2 New York Sirens top the No. 4 Montréal Victoire 2-1 — setting a new US women's hockey attendance record in the process.

The benchmark surpasses the previous US record set this past November, when the Seattle Torrent welcomed 16,014 fans to their inaugural home opener.

Sunday's DC crowd also sees the US mark inch closer to the overall professional women's hockey attendance record, set in April 2024 when 21,105 PWHL fans sold out Montréal's Bell Centre to watch the Victoire take on the Toronto Sceptres.

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"Washington, DC, showed up in such a big way, and the energy our fans brought into the arena turned this game into something truly special," PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer said of the first-ever PWHL game in the nation's capital. "Moments like this capture the joy of our sport and the momentum behind the league."

The third-year league is currently racing through its best-attended month on record, drawing more than 154,000 fans across the last 16 games while averaging crowds of 8,726 across all 49 games so far this season.