USA's 2026 Olympic women's hockey team was incredible by every measure, and are clearly the most dominant American roster ever assembled, on the men's or women's side. It's how this team deserves to be remembered.
This week, USA's women's hockey team was thrust into controversy following comments by American President Donald Trump who joked with the men's gold medal winning team that he'd "have to bring the women's team" to the White House too.
It was a comment met by laughter from the entire men's hockey team, who at the time were drinking and partying with FBI director Kash Patel in their locker room in Italy. Trump continued by saying that if he didn't invite the women's team, that he "probably would be impeached."
The implication, as has been hotly debated since the comments surfaced following the gold medal game, was that neither side wanted the women's team to attend the White House, but that they'd need to settle for including the group.
But the Olympic women's hockey team was not secondary, nor have they been to any team in the world for quite some time. They were clearly the best Olympic women's hockey roster in history, and the most dominant team at the 2026 Olympics in every game they played.
At the 2026 Olympics, USA's women's team went 7-0 outscoring their opponents 33-2. Against Canada, USA has now won eight consecutive games spanning back to the 2025 World Championships. It's a claim only the women's team can make as the men's roster fell to Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, and were steeply outplayed in the gold medal game by Canada at the 2026 Olympics.
USA's women's roster, first time ever, swept Canada in the Rivalry Series this season, and shutout Canada in the Olympic preliminary round. It was Canada's first ever Olympic shutout against, and the 5-0 decision was the largest win by an American team, in men's or women's hockey, against Team Canada.
USA also finished the 2026 Olympics with a 100% penalty killing efficiency, including three kills against Canada in the gold medal game. Overall, USA posted five shutouts, a 0.28 GAA and .984 save percentage as a team and outshot their opponents 292-126.
USA's 2025-26 women's hockey roster finished this season by winning the 2025 World Championships with a 7-0 record, sweeping Canada for the first time ever going 4-0 at the Rivalry Series, and sweeping through the Olympics going 7-0.
No team in the world, men's or women's, can boast that dominance.
Individually, USA's women's team also takes the edge in notable names. The men's team is loaded with NHL stars, but the women's team features legends, current and future.
Hilary Knight, in her fifth and final Olympics, scored the gold medal game tying goal with only 2:04 remaining in the game. The goal moved Knight into the all-time American lead for goals and assists at the Olympics. Knight is also the all-time scoring leader internationally at the World Championships. The former Boston Fleet and current Seattle Torrent captain has done everything there is to do in the sport and will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in short time.
She's joined by veterans like Kendall Coyne Schofield, who is another future Hall of Famer, and defender Megan Keller, who was named an Olympic All-Star and tied for the tournament lead in scoring as she builds her own Hall of Fame career. Coyne Schofield won back-to-back Walter Cups as captain of the Minnesota Frost, while Keller is the current captain of the PWHL's Boston Fleet. Keller scored the golden goal for USA in overtime in their 2-1 win over Canada for gold.
Leading the future wave of Team USA on this roster are Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards. Both have already amassed individual accolades equal to some players inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Harvey was named the 2026 Olympic MVP, Best Defender, co-leading scorer, and tournament All-Star. She's already been named Best Defender at two World Championships, earned three World Championship All-Star selections, and led a World Championship in scoring as well.
Edwards was the 2024 World Championship MVP as a forward, before USA converted her to a defender in time for the 2026 Olympics, where she was voted a tournament All-Star as a defender. Edwards became the first Black woman ever to represent USA at the Olympic Games in ice hockey.
USA's women's team was the best to ever play the game for the nation on the men's or women's side. Their dominance is unparalleled by any national team the nation has constructed, and with the 2026 World Championships still to come in November, the team will have the opportunity to extend that legacy yet again.