Canada, United States ready to rumble in quarters at men’s hockey worlds in first matchup since dramatic Olympic final

Another chapter in the Canada-United States hockey rivalry will be written on Thursday in Switzerland at the World Hockey Championship.

The two hockey powerhouses will go head-to-head in the quarter-final round from BCF Arena in Fribourg at the men’s hockey worlds, their first matchup since the Americans captured the Olympic gold medal in a memorable overtime final at Milano Cortina 2026 in February.

You can watch the game LIVE Thursday morning at 10am ET/7am PT on TSN4 and streaming on TSN.ca or the TSN App.

It seems to matter a little more whenever these two nations clash on the ice – even if both lineups look significantly different than the star-studded squads that played each other at the Olympics.

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is the only returning player from the Olympics on the United States’ world championship roster, while Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks are the two Canadian players that played in both tournaments this season.

Team Canada head coach Misha Donskov understands the significance of the game on Thursday.

“We will enjoy this win [over Czechia on Tuesday] and get right back at it tomorrow, but it is a massive opportunity for our guys against the Americans,” Donskov said. “We know what is on the line, and what happened recently at the Olympics. Everyone in our room remembers what happened there, and we have a lot of pride in our game as Canadians, so we will be ready.”

Olympic gold won’t be on the line in Switzerland and Canada can’t erase the heartbreak that still lingers from Milan, but rest assured, Thursday’s quarterfinal clash is one both sides - or their fans - can’t afford to lose when it comes to pride and bragging rights.

How have Canada and USA fared so far?

Canada won all seven of their games in round-robin play to finish first in Group B after coming back to defeat Czechia 3-2 on Tuesday.

Celebrini, the 19-year-old superstar who is serving as Canada’s captain, is leading his side in scoring with five goals and six assists over seven games. He had two goals against Czechia.

Crosby, 38, is second on the team with nine points, all assists while Nashville Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly has five goals.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares and defenceman Morgan Rielly, Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele, Ottawa Senators forward Dylan Cozens as well as Edmonton Oilers defencemen Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard are other notable players on Team Canada’s roster which appears to be more talented on paper compared to Team United States.

The United States weren’t nearly as dominant, needing a win over Austria in their round-robin finale to clinch a playoff spot, earning four wins over seven games.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tommy Novak leads the way with eight points (one goal, seven assists). Tkachuk is right behind with seven points, including four goals.

Jet Greaves has received the majority of work for Team Canada between the pipes as the 25-year-old goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets has posted a 1.60 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage over five games.

Cam Talbot, the 38-year-old veteran for the Detroit Red Wings, has played two games, earning a shutout in one contest and allowing five goals against in the other.

Other the other side, Devin Cooley of the Calgary Flames has a 1.70 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage over five games while Joseph Woll of the Maple Leafs has struggled, allowing 11 goals on 46 shots over three games.

When did Canada and USA last play each other at the World Hockey Championship?

It’s actually been quite some time since Canada and the United States played each other at the Men’s World Hockey Championship.

You have to go all the way back to the 2021 when the Canadians defeated the Americans 4-2 in the semifinal from Riga, Latvia.

Andrew Mangiapane scored twice for Team Canada in the victory as Canada would go on to defeat Finland 3-2 in overtime in the gold-medal game for their 27th world title.

The United States, who settled for the bronze medal, went 6-0 during round-robin play that year, including a 5-1 blowout of Canada.

The Olympic champion Americans are looking to defend their world championship victory from last year, the third time they’ve won the annual tournament.

Canada, who were upset by Denmark in last year’s quarter-final round, hasn’t won since 2023, leading the all-time table with 28 gold medals.

The winner of Canada and the United States game will take on the winner between host Switzerland and Sweden on Saturday.

Finland takes on Czechia and Norway battles Latvia in the other quarterfinals.

The gold medal final goes Sunday at Swiss Life Arena in Zürich.