The eighth quadrennial women’s Olympic tournament is set to kick off this Thursday, with an anticipated showdown once again between Canada and the United States likely to highlight the Gold Medal Match once again – but like the previous tournament hosted in Italy, the potential for an upset is more likely now than perhaps ever before.

In what will likely be the final Olympic tournament in its current format, which has been the case over the past three Olympics, the likely finalists Canada and Team USA will be in Group A alongside Finland, Czechia and Switzerland, with all five teams guaranteed to advance to the elimination round. While it is most likely for the sixth Canada-USA final in Olympic history, the Czechs in particular have been closing the gap on both countries, and while they won back to back World Championship Bronze medals in 2022 and 2023, they will surely take inspiration from the Damkronorna of 2006 to take down one of the titans of the sport on the twenty year anniversary of the Turin Games, less than 200 kilometres from the site of the original upset.

Short of this, the Bronze will likely fall to the Czechs or Finns, who met at this year’s World Championships in a tight contest, while Switzerland or one of the Group B teams (likely Sweden) trying to play spoiler. Group B will be rounded out by Germany, Japan, hosts Italy and France, who claimed the final spot in the tournament following the IOC’s ban of Russia last May. However, with the Professional Women’s Hockey League featuring players from seven different countries, the playing field is more equal than ever, so anything could truly happen in Milan.

From the perspective of the IHLC, a few interesting facts related to this year’s Olympics:
– Team USA enters the Olympics as incumbent IHLC champions for the first time since 2014, and the fourth time overall (2002, 2006, 2014)
– the Americans will open the tournament against Czechia, who they are 2-0 all-time for the IHLC against, with a score differential of 12-2
– Canada is looking to repeat as Olympic champions after 2022 for the first time since winning four straight Gold medals (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014), before losing to Team USA in 2018
– Canada is looking to recapture its Italian success after Gold in Turin in 2006; same with Sweden, who upset Team USA en route to a surprising Silver medal
– these will mark the first ever women’s IHLC games to be held in Milan, with only nine ever held before in Italy, all in Turin; six at the 2006 Olympics, and five at the Torino Ice Tournament in 2005
– as noted when the rosters were released, there are 90 returning players from Beijing 2022, with the majority being from Canada and Finland (sixteen players each)

With so many fascinating storylines, and thankfully none of the pandemic-related drama that hung over the Beijing games four years earlier, this should be a thrilling tournament with a lot of excitement and unknowns up in the air!

Photo Credit: The Hockey Writers – IIHF – HHOF – IOC