A US-Canada gold medal match looms again at the Winter Games, this time at the Paralympics

MILAN (AP) — Three weeks after the United States and Canada clashed in the Olympic hockey finals, they are on course to face off for gold again. This time at the Paralympics.

The U.S. is looking to cement itself as the top hockey nation. Canada is determined to prevent its neighbors from doing the Olympic and Paralympic sweep at Milan Cortina.

It looks set to be another chapter of the famed rivalry between the two hockey powerhouses.

“It’s one of the best rivalries in sport and we’re so fortunate that we have the opportunity to be a part of it,” Canada captain Tyler McGregor told The Associated Press. “Those are games that they’re just different as an athlete: they’re more emotional, they’re chaotic at times, there’s so many momentum swings over the course of a game.

"When the pressure is on you really need to be able to manage that emotionally. And those games, they’re fast, they’re physical, they test you in ways that is so incredible as an athlete and we can’t wait to potentially have that opportunity later in the tournament.”

Both nations topped their groups in the para ice hockey round-robin stage, winning all three of their matches comprehensively.

Four-time defending champion U.S., which has scored 34 goals and let in just two, will face the Czech Republic in Friday’s semifinals, when Canada, which has allowed just one goal and scored 26, will play China.

“We’re both at a high level, their guys care just as much as we do, they train just as hard,” U.S. forward Kevin McKee said. “And then, obviously, we play such tight games So you build that, not necessarily hatred, but that competition. Like you like to compete against them, because they’re just good games.”

The U.S. is also aiming for hockey history, looking to become the first country to do the three-peat after winning gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the Olympics.

The Americans swept all four world championships last year. There is currently no women’s division at the Paralympics, with it classified as an open-gender sport.

“No team’s ever won all three hockey gold medals in the Olympics and Paralympics so I think it’s a lofty goal but I think, obviously the men and women got it done so we just got to keep building every game and hopefully we can bring one home,” U.S. captain Josh Pauls said.

Teammate Jack Wallace believes the Canadians “are licking the wounds right now after the Olympics,” having lost to the Americans in both gold medal matches.

“I know we’re trying to stop that (run) right here,” Canada goalkeeper Corbin Watson said. “We’re coming in as a renewed force. I know last year wasn’t the greatest … but this year we pushed really hard, we did a lot of good things in our training throughout the year.

“So we’re eyeing that gold medal game … eyeing Team USA to come for them.”

While the Olympics saw the U.S. men win gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, it’s a different story at the Paralympics.

The U.S. has triumphed at five of the past six editions of the Winter Paralympics and several of its players are targeting a fourth straight gold medal, with Pauls incredibly targeting a fifth.

Canada finished runner-up at the past two Paralympics but Italian ice may just prove lucky as the team won its only gold medal in Turin in 2006.

Greg Westlake, a member of that gold medal team, announced in August that he would step down from his assistant coaching role with the national team to come out of retirement and rejoin his teammates on the ice.

“One of the reasons I came back to play this year was I thought it would just be really cool to kind of wrap up where it all started,” the 39-year-old said. “I have such great memories of 2006.

“I remember when you get the gold medal, you get the flowers that come with it and I found my mom in the stands and I tossed her the flowers and she’s crying, and then you line up on the blue line and sing ‘O Canada’ and to this day it’s one of the greatest memories of my life so I just want those guys on the team who haven’t experienced that to experience that because it’s very well deserved for all those guys.”

AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games

United States players celebrate at the end of the Group A preliminary Rond hockey match between Germany and United States at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Canada's Greg Westlake controls the puck during the Group A preliminary round hockey match between Japan and Canada at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

United States' Kevin McKee, left, challenges for the puck with China's Wang Zhidong during the Group A ice hockey match between United States and China at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Canada's Tyler McGregor scores his side's first goal during the Group A preliminary round hockey match between Japan and Canada at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

United States' Josh Pauls, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring during the Group A ice hockey match between United States and China at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)