As the next Olympic Winter Games approach, a familiar narrative is taking shape in women's hockey: the experienced Canadian squad versus the youthful American team. While media on both sides of the border have latched onto this "youth versus experience" storyline, Canada's National Women's team is not just accepting this label—they're embracing it as their greatest strength.
The Age Narrative: Fact vs. Fiction
It's factually accurate that when the final rosters are named for the Cortina Olympics in February, the American team will be significantly younger. The U.S. boasts emerging talents like Abbey Murphy (23), Caroline Harvey (23), and Haley Winn (22), though they also maintain veterans like Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield.
Meanwhile, Canada's potential lineup includes battle-hardened players such as Marie-Philip Poulin (34), Brianne Jenner (34), and Jocelyne Larocque (37). However, the Canadian team is far from exclusively veteran—younger players including Chloe Primerano (18), Jennifer Gardiner (24), Danielle Serdachny (24), and Julia Gosling (24) are all competing for spots on the final roster.
The Foundation of Success: Team Chemistry
What Canada may lack in youth, they more than compensate for with unparalleled team chemistry and a deeply ingrained culture of success. According to leadership team member Brianne Jenner, this foundation is their ultimate competitive advantage.
"I think for us, we can call it chemistry, often times we refer to it as our culture and just our relationships and that being our foundation is probably the No. 1 thing for us in our program," Jenner explained. "We know that elevates all the other pieces of our team whether that's the tactics, our on-ice chemistry, our work in the gym."
Jenner emphasized that this chemistry isn't static—it requires constant nurturing. "There's some of us that have been playing together for over a decade on this team and there's that trust but it doesn't mean once you have that you have arrived. You have to use that trust and that foundation to have difficult conversations."
Proven Results Through Shared Experience
Canadian head coach Troy Ryan sees immense value in his team's shared history, noting that the core group has weathered numerous challenges together that have forged an unbreakable bond.
"The core has been through a lot together," Ryan said. "They have been through the cancellation of the CWHL. They have been through COVID. They came third at that 2019 Worlds so there's been a lot. They fought for the PWHL."
This shared experience creates an environment where players can perform at their peak without fear of imperfection. Ryan observed that with strong team chemistry, "You don't have to be perfect all the time. It makes a big difference for sure."
External Motivation vs. Internal Drive
Despite media predictions that have occasionally counted Canada out—including forecasts that they wouldn't medal in some tournaments—the team remains unfazed by external narratives.
"Honestly we don't care," Jenner stated, laughing off the suggestion that the age narrative bothers the team. "We have been told since Beijing that we are not the favourite. Most of it goes in one ear and out the other."
Rather than seeking motivation from outside sources, the team draws strength from within. "Our biggest motivation is each other and what we know we are capable of doing," Jenner explained. "There's a lot of belief in our group and I think there always will be."
Coach Ryan stands firmly behind his veteran players, asserting that age will never be an excuse for failure. "If we are successful it will be at least in part because of our experience and just the years under their belt that they have had and if we are unsuccessful, you will not hear it out of my mouth that we weren't because we were older and experienced. That will not be a reason why we are unsuccessful."
As the Olympic showdown approaches, Canada's women's hockey team continues to build on their foundation of trust, shared experience, and proven success—confident that their recipe of chemistry and veteran leadership will once again prove victorious on the world's biggest stage.
