Fans react to Team USA’s historic stomping of Team Canada’s women’s hockey squad: ‘What happened to elbows up?’

Team USA crushed Canada 5-0 in women’s hockey group play Tuesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The big win was the first time Canada had ever been shut out in the Olympics and was the largest margin-of-defeat the program had ever suffered at the Games.

Heading into the matchup, there was also some trash talk between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump, who initially got together to discuss the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

“It was a positive conversation,” said Carney, while adding that he told Trump that Team Canada would beat the U.S. in their Olympic matchup. “It’s a big game today and we’re going to win.”

Canada unfortunately couldn’t back-up Carney’s prediction.

For the matchup, Canada was without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who missed the game because of an injury suffered on Monday, but even if she had been available the result may not have changed much as.

Hannah Bilka scored two goals to lead Team USA, while Kirsten Simms, Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards also found the back of the net for a U.S. side that dominated the Canadians, looking faster and more dangerous as it outshot Canada 33-20.

American goalie Aerin Frankel recorded her second shutout of the tournament as the United States improved to 4-0 to take a stranglehold over Group A.

Reaction to the rout ranged from pure elation (mostly from Americans) to downright misery (from Canadians).

Canada next plays Finland on Thursday, a make-up contest of what was supposed to be its tournament opener before the Finnish team got ravaged by the norovirus. The team currently sits in second in Group A with a 2-1 record, only behind the U.S.