On This Day in Sports: February 17, 1998
On February 17, 1998, the United States defeated Canada 3–1 in Nagano to win the first Olympic gold medal awarded in women’s ice hockey. The sport was making its Olympic debut, and the North American rivals arrived after years of intense international competition. Canada had won every previous women’s world championship, while the United States believed its speed, conditioning and deep roster could overturn that history on the largest stage.
Canada struck first in the second period, but the Americans answered when Gretchen Ulion redirected a shot to tie the game. The deciding moment came in the third period as Shelley Looney scored during a power play. Goaltender Sarah Tueting protected the lead through sustained Canadian pressure, and Sandra Whyte added an empty-net goal in the final seconds to complete the 3–1 victory.
Captain Cammi Granato led a roster that had trained together for months and treated the tournament as an opportunity larger than one result. The players knew that their visibility could influence whether girls back home saw hockey as a sport open to them. Their unbeaten Olympic run delivered a championship and introduced many viewers to the quality and intensity of elite women’s hockey.
The gold medal became a foundational moment for the women’s game in the United States. Participation expanded, collegiate programs gained attention, and a new generation could point to Olympic champions as role models. The U.S.-Canada rivalry continued to define the sport, producing more classic finals, but Nagano remained the beginning: the first Olympic tournament and the first team whose names were engraved as champions.
Women’s ice hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games.
Canada had won every women’s world championship held before Nagano.
Ulion tied the final before Looney scored the winning power-play goal.
Tueting held Canada to one goal as the U.S. finished the tournament unbeaten.
The victory gave American girls their first Olympic hockey champions to emulate.
U.S.-Canada became the defining rivalry of women’s international hockey.
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