The women's Olympic hockey tournament opens on Thursday in Milan, Italy with a four-game slate highlighted by the U.S. taking on Czechia at 10:40 a.m. Eastern, and Canada taking on Finland at 3:10 p.m.
Canada is coming into the tournament as the defending champions, defeating the U.S. in the gold medal game in 2022.
What storylines are there to follow on the women's side in these Games? Here are some notable ones and other things to know:
• U.S. captain Hilary Knight is looking to go out on a high note after she announced last spring that this will be her fifth and final Olympics. She won three silvers and one gold in her previous four appearances.
• Canada's captain Marie-Philip Poulin will also be playing in her fifth Olympics. Known as "Captain Clutch," she's had the gold-medal winning goal in three of her previous four Olympic appearances. She's coming into the tournament one goal shy of tying Hayley Wickenheiser for the most goals in Olympic women's hockey. Poulin, at 34, hasn't said either way if this will be her final Olympics.
• The U.S. has beaten Canada in their last six matchups, a slate that includes the Rivalry Series, a series of exhibition games played across North America.
• Canada is bringing back much of the gold-medal winning squad from 2022. The U.S. has gotten younger, with only 11 returning players from 2022. The U.S. roster includes seven players still in college.
• Four of the women on the U.S. are products of the Penguins Elite program: Laila Edwards, Hannah Bilka, Ava McNaughton and Gweneth Philips.
• The gold medal game is expected to come down to the U.S. and Canada again, but Czechia and Finland are the other two teams closest to medaling, with Germany and Sweden not far behind.
• One fun thing to watch: Sweden's Anna Kjellbin and Finland's Ronja Savolainen are engaged to be married. They're rivals in the PWHL too, with Kjellbin playing for Toronto and Savolainen for Ottawa.
THE ASYLUM
Storylines to watch in women's Olympic tournament
The women's Olympic hockey tournament opens on Thursday in Milan, Italy with a four-game slate highlighted by the U.S. taking on Czechia at 10:40 a.m. Eastern, and Canada taking on Finland at 3:10 p.m.
Canada is coming into the tournament as the defending champions, defeating the U.S. in the gold medal game in 2022.
What storylines are there to follow on the women's side in these Games? Here are some notable ones and other things to know:
• U.S. captain Hilary Knight is looking to go out on a high note after she announced last spring that this will be her fifth and final Olympics. She won three silvers and one gold in her previous four appearances.
• Canada's captain Marie-Philip Poulin will also be playing in her fifth Olympics. Known as "Captain Clutch," she's had the gold-medal winning goal in three of her previous four Olympic appearances. She's coming into the tournament one goal shy of tying Hayley Wickenheiser for the most goals in Olympic women's hockey. Poulin, at 34, hasn't said either way if this will be her final Olympics.
• The U.S. has beaten Canada in their last six matchups, a slate that includes the Rivalry Series, a series of exhibition games played across North America.
• Canada is bringing back much of the gold-medal winning squad from 2022. The U.S. has gotten younger, with only 11 returning players from 2022. The U.S. roster includes seven players still in college.
• Four of the women on the U.S. are products of the Penguins Elite program: Laila Edwards, Hannah Bilka, Ava McNaughton and Gweneth Philips.
• The gold medal game is expected to come down to the U.S. and Canada again, but Czechia and Finland are the other two teams closest to medaling, with Germany and Sweden not far behind.
• One fun thing to watch: Sweden's Anna Kjellbin and Finland's Ronja Savolainen are engaged to be married. They're rivals in the PWHL too, with Kjellbin playing for Toronto and Savolainen for Ottawa.
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