Jonathan Quick #32 of the United States makes a save against Jonathan Toews #16 of Canada in the first period during the Men's Ice Hockey Semifinal Playoff on February 21, 2014 in Sochi, Russia
The United States lost to Canada in the men’s hockey Olympic semifinals on Friday, falling 1-0 just a day after Canada’s women’s hockey team beat the U.S. in overtime to win its fourth-straight Olympic title.
Though it was not the game for the gold medal, many NHL fans watched the semi-final with bated breath as the best players from the league took one another on for their respective countries.
Both teams were unbeaten in this year’s Olympics headed into this game. It was a rematch of a gripping 2010 gold medal game in Vancouver, which Canada won in overtime.
“The intensity is going to be in my opinion just as high as if it’s a gold medal game,” the American forward Zach Parise told the New York Times before the game. American coach Dan Bylsma has called it “the biggest rivalry in hockey.”
This was the 18th time the two countries met during the Winter Olympics games in hockey—more than any other two nations in the world. Canada has now won 12 of those match-ups, and the U.S. has only won three. The other three were ties.
The U.S. will now play Finland for the bronze medal.