The Intense Rivalry Between the U.S. and Latvia in World Ice Hockey: A Closer Look

The ongoing rivalry between the U.S. and Latvia is one of the most hotly contested in world championship history, with Team USA currently holding a significant advantage with an 11-1-1-3-1 record. The series began in 1938, and the latest meeting took place a year ago during the bronze-medal game, where Latvia emerged victorious in overtime. This victory sparked a national holiday in Latvia on Monday.

On Sunday, both teams played against Kazakhstan and Slovakia, respectively. The U.S., led by their impressive play against Kazakhstan’s weak defense, won 10-1, while Latvia secured a hard-fought 2-1 shootout victory over Slovakia. Despite this result, Team USA has already clinched its spot in the quarterfinals for the 13th consecutive year. However, Latvia still has hope of advancing to the quarterfinals by winning against the U.S. in regulation time and relying on Sweden’s win over Slovakia later that day.

Currently, Team USA is sitting atop Group B with a record of 4-0-1-1, while Latvia lags behind in fifth place with a record of 1-3-0-2. With both teams playing so well this season and having such storied histories against each other, it will be interesting to see how they fare when they face off again in future matches.