Competing in her fifth Winter Games, the U.S. captain is the face of American women’s hockey after her role in galvanizing the sport—both at home and internationally.

With Canada's game versus Finland postponed due to a norovirus outbreak, the U.S. and Czechia opened the Olympic women's hockey tournament.

U.S. women's hockey, led by the team's very own "Captain America" aka five-time Olympian Hilary Knight, is off to a running start in the quest for gold after a 5-1 win over Czechia. While the Group A matchup against Czechia began as more of a jog, once Team USA got into a flow, they couldn't be stopped.

Here's what to know about Thursday's slate of women's ice hockey games at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, including how to watch information.

The target number of medals for a country to win the overall medal table is 35. Norway captured 37 medals to top the 2022 Winter Olympics medal table. That was 10 more than Germany in second place and 12 more than Team USA in third.

NHL teammates quickly become international rivals as men’s hockey begins at the 2026 Olympics, with a number of compelling matchups during the preliminary round.