Canada

Canada is the sport's spiritual home and the benchmark every other hockey nation measures itself against. Wearing the iconic red maple leaf, Team Canada blends speed, physicality, and a deep well of NHL talent that few programs can match. Its rivalry with the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States has produced some of the most dramatic moments in international hockey, including the legendary 1972 Summit Series. Canadians expect gold every time they lace up, and more often than not, they deliver.

Ice hockey developed in Canada in the mid-to-late 19th century, and the country has been the sport's dominant international power ever since. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association formed in 1914 to govern the domestic game, while Hockey Canada was established in 1969 to run the national team program. Canada has won more IIHF World Championship gold medals than any other nation, with titles stretching from the 1920s through the modern NHL era, including recent championships in 2015, 2016, 2021, and 2023. Generations of Canadian stars, from Wayne Gretzky to Mario Lemieux to Sidney Crosby, have carried the program's legacy on the world stage.