🇺🇸 United States 3-1 Canada 🇨🇦
Olympic Gold Medal Game
Nagano Wakasato Tamokuteki Sports Arena, Nagano 🇯🇵
Tuesday, 17 February 1998

The 1998 Olympics was historic for two reasons. For the men, it was the first time full NHL participation occurred. For the women, it was the first time they were playing Olympic hockey at all. The excitement of the women’s event was all the more palatable because it was virtually certain that Canada and USA were headed towards a gold medal showdown.

These had been the two best countries since 1990, when the IIHF started the women’s world championship, and both countries had been preparing for years for this inaugural competition. The six teams entered played a simple round robin, the top two advancing to a gold-medal game, and the third and fourth teams playing for the bronze medal.

As expected, Canada and USA played for the gold, but the result came, if not as a shock, then certainly as a surprise. The first period was scoreless, but early in the second the Americans took the lead thanks to Gretchen Ulion. Midway through the third, they extended the lead to 2-0 on a Shelley Looney goal, but Danielle Goyette finally beat Sarah Teuting to make it 2-1 with 4:01 left in regulation.

The Canadians poured on the pressure in the dying minutes, but the only puck to cross the goal line was fired by American Sandra Whyte into the vacant Canadian net at 19:52. The Americans won gold, and the teary-eyed favourites from Canada had to settle for silver after having won all four World Championship gold medals. But for the Americans, they didn’t win the game on this day so much as three days earlier in the final game of the round robin.

In that game, Canada had built an impressive and comfortable 4-1-lead early in the third period only to see the Americans score six unanswered goals and win 7-4. Canada has never before or since given up as many goals in a period or game, but the incredible onslaught by USA gave the players confidence that they could beat Canada when the gold medal was on the line. And that’s just what they did.

But regardless of the final outcome – women’s hockey was the winner. As of 1998, it was not only endorsed by the IIHF. Women’s hockey was now accepted by sport’s most prestigious movement.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
08:57 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Mounsey, high sticking
17:00 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Campbell, holding

2nd Period
20:43 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Drolet, tripping
22:38 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Ulion (Whyte, Merz)
34:09 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Coyne, holding
37:22 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Movsessian, tripping

3rd Period
49:37 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Goyette, body checking
50:57 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Looney (Whyte, Ulion)
55:50 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Mounsey, body checking
55:59 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Goyette (Wickenheiser, Heaney)
59:52 – 🇺🇸 EN GOAL – Whyte

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Tueting (21-22)
L: 🇨🇦 Rhéaume (21-23)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 8+11+5 = 24
🇨🇦 9+4+9 = 22

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Sara DeCosta, Sarah Tueting. Defence: Chris Bailey (A), Colleen Coyne, Sue Merz, Tara Mounsey, Vicki Movsessian, Angela Ruggiero. Forwards: Laurie Baker, Alana Blahoski, Lisa Brown, Karyn Bye (A), Tricia Dunn, Cammi Granato (C), Katie King, Shelley Looney, A.J. Mleczko, Jenny Schmidgall, Gretchen Ulion, Sandra Whyte.
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Lesley Reddon, Manon Rhéaume. Defence: Thérèse Brisson (A), Cassie Campbell, Judy Diduck, Geraldine Heaney, Becky Kellar, Fiona Smith. Forwards: Jennifer Botterill, Nancy Drolet, Lori Dupuis, Danielle Goyette, Jayna Hefford, Kathy McCormack, Karen Nystrom, Laura Schuler, France St-Louis, Vicky Sunohara (A), Hayley Wickenheiser, Stacy Wilson (C).

Article Credit: IIHF 100 Top Stories Of The Century
Photo Credit: Getty – IIHF – HHOF – IOC