BEIJING (NEXSTAR) - It has become a staple of the Olympics: the U.S. wins in the women's hockey gold medal game. vs Canada.
Beijing marks the sixth time in seven Olympics that the two powers have met in a championship game, with the last time being the U.S. in Pyeongchang. Shootout wins for. This has created a heated rivalry.
"It's no secret that we don't like each other. It's always a fight, especially when you're able to represent your country, the stakes are high and there's a lot of pride behind it." ,” Megan Keller, playing defense for Team USA in Beijing.
Lisa Brown-Miller knows this very well. She played for the gold medal for Team USA against Canada at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan - the first time women's hockey was an Olympic event.
“Whenever you see him playing, it is in the end for the big prize. There is nothing that heats up like that fight for these bragging rights at the end of the game,” Brown-Miller said.
Earning those bragging rights, she said, is "powerful."
These days, the U.S. And many Canadian players play with and against each other professionally, so they know each other and have some friends. Brown-Miller, who now coaches for Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, joked that she could never do that.
"When you saw them before a game, if you were walking through the lobby when you were staying at the same hotel, you could stare at them a little bit, like, 'I've got you,'" Brown-Miller said. .
She said the rivalry is good for women's hockey as it draws attention to the game.