<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2012 USA </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey . The United States has been one of the most dominant women's hockey teams in international play, having won gold or silver in every major tournament with the exception of the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they captured bronze . The U.S. had 75,832 female players in 2018, 7001136000000000000 ♠ 13.6% of the 555,935 total . </P> <P> In 1998, the Women's Olympic Hockey Team was named the USOC Team of the Year . In 2015, the Women's National Ice Hockey Team was named the USOC Team of the Month, in April . In 2018, the Women's Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal in a 3 - 2 shootout, ending their 20 - year drought . </P> <P> Since the beginning of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship in 1990, Team USA has participated . USA Hockey started to improve their women's hockey program once the conversation over adding women's ice hockey into the Olympics started at an IOC executive board meeting in July 1992 . In 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano women's ice hockey was included for the first time in the history of Olympics . USA Hockey wanted a team that could beat the Canadians since the stakes were very high for the 1998 Games, so they hired Ben Smith, who led the 1998 U.S. Olympic women's hockey as the head coach . The U.S. women's ice hockey team won gold in the 1998 Games, winning 3 - 1 against Team Canada . It became the first country to win gold in the women's ice hockey competition in Olympic history . This was also the first gold in the history of the U.S women's ice hockey team . This success inspired future generations of girls and women hockey players, including Meghan Duggan, a Team USA and Olympic athlete, who watched and celebrated the win as a 10 - year - old girl . </P>

Who won the 2018 women's hockey gold medal
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