The United States won the first women's Olympic ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Women's ice hockey made its Olympic debut in Nagano, where six teams competed in the inaugural tournament. The United States defeated Canada 3–1 in the gold-medal game, with the result giving the Americans the first Olympic title in the sport. Canada took silver, while Finland won bronze.
The tournament was a major milestone for international women's hockey. Canada and the United States had already developed a fierce rivalry through the Women's World Championship, but the Olympic stage gave that rivalry wider attention. Women's ice hockey has remained on the Winter Olympic programme since Nagano, with Canada and the United States winning every Olympic title through the 2022 Games.