The rivalry between the United States and Canada thrilled the hockey world last month at the Milan Cortina Olympics, and now it is spilling onto the baseball diamond.

The countries will play each other on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic in Houston, and players on both sides are drawing inspiration from the ice.

The Canadians took to the field for pregame warmups on Friday afternoon in Hockey Canada jerseys. They also received a video message from Hockey Canada, according to Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae.

The message included words of encouragement from Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, Tampa Bay Lighting coach Jon Cooper, who coached Team Canada in Milan, and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who captained the Canadians in Milan.

Team Canada wearing their hockey jerseys in pregame warmups pic.twitter.com/ELYVZhGwQ6

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 13, 2026

The Canadian men’s and women’s team both suffered overtime defeats to Team USA in the gold medal hockey game in Milan, something Canada manager Ernie Whitt said his players want to avenge.

“The players in that locker room, they want to beat the U.S. tonight, just to revenge the loss that the hockey team had,” Whitt said.

Team Canada first baseman Josh Naylor, who plays for the Seattle Mariners, was sporting a Paul Kariya Team Canada jersey during Thursday’s off-day workout.

Team Canada workout day ahead of a huge QF vs. USA tomorrow night here in Houston. #WBC
Josh Naylor sporting a Paul Kariya Hockey Canada jersey @baseballcanada pic.twitter.com/5v2lXTAOD3

— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) March 12, 2026

Naylor also wore a Jarome Iginla jersey when he warmed up ahead of Canada’s matchup with Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and a vintage Wayne Gretzky jersey earlier in the tournament. The Mississauga, Ontario, native grew up playing hockey.

On the other side, Mark DeRosa, manager of Team USA, said Thursday that New Jersey Devils star center Jack Hughes had sent his team some motivational words. Hughes scored the overtime winner in the gold-medal game on Feb. 22 to deliver the United States’ first men’s hockey Olympic gold since 1980.

“Jack Hughes sent the boys a nice little fire-up message that I put out on their group chat,” DeRosa said.

Hughes clarified after the Devils’ loss on Thursday night that he the pump-up message he sent Team USA had nothing to do with facing Canada.

“That wasn’t for that game,” he said. “People make stuff up. That was before the tournament. Just reached out — I’m a big baseball fan and they reached out, and I’ve been tuned in, so it’s as simple as that.”

The sporting rivalry between the United States and Canada has grown over the last few years, and is not limited to the ice — although it includes the gold-medal game of the women’s hockey tournament last month, in which the U.S. beat Canada

Last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament featured two spirited games between the countries. The U.S. won the first matchup 3-1, a game that began with two fights in the opening seconds. Canada got its revenge in the final when Connor McDavid scored in overtime.

Canada has emerged as a rival to the United States in men’s soccer recently as well. The Canadians surprised many by beating the U.S. in World Cup qualifying in 2022, finishing atop the group to earn their spot in Qatar. The sides met again in the 2023 Nations League Final, and the U.S. came out on top 2-0.

On the diamond, the rivalry has been fairly one-sided, with the U.S. winning the last four meetings in the World Baseball Classic. Canada won the first-ever matchup in 2006, in a game that was nicknamed the “Miracle on Dirt,” in reference to the United States’ “Miracle on Ice” Olympic win over the Soviet Union in hockey in 1980.

The U.S. since has won four consecutive baseball meetings, including a dominant 12-1 victory in the most recent matchup in 2023.

First pitch for Friday’s quarterfinal is set for 8 p.m. ET at Daikin Park in Houston. Korea and the Dominican Republic face off in another quarterfinal, while Puerto Rico faces Italy and Japan faces Venezuela on the opposite side of the bracket.