The 4 Nations Face-off concludes exactly how the National Hockey League pulled it up: a US-Canada final.
The two troops fought for the Saturday in what was their first meeting in a best-in-best format of nine years, and a violent Montreal audience booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” was delivered an instant Godbit with three matches in the first nine seconds, including two in the first three.
The rivalry extends over lots of time, but with political tensions between the two countries it is now warmer than ever before.
Before we dive down in Thursday evening’s final, let’s look at some of the history of the rivalry and how we got to the place we are today.
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Canadas Brandon Hagel, Left, fights for the US Matthew Tkachuk in the first period of 4 Nations Face-off match in Montreal on Saturday. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press via AP)
The world’s juniors have been nicer for Americans in recent years: Each of the last four gold medal games between the two countries has gone to the Americans, most recently by 2021. However, these are the big leagues.
The very first meeting between the two countries in a best-at-best format was back in the 1976 Canada Cup, which Team Canada won, 4-2; The Americans did not earn their first victory over their northern neighbors before the World Cup in 1996 after losing seven of their first eight meetings and tied in the second.
The United States won the year’s World Cup and took home the best-of-three series against Canada, but since then it has mostly been Canadian domination again.
Into 4 Nations Face-off, Canada went 6-1 against the Americans from 1998 to 2016, and three of these victories were absolute gut to the United States.
Canada took the Olympic gold medal in 2002 in Salt Lake City over the Americans, but more famous came Sidney Crosby’s golden goal eight years later also at the expense of Team USA in front of a Vancouver audience.
Canada tip Sidney Crosby scores the game-winning goal of overtime against the United States during the men’s hockey gold medal match in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. (Kyle Terada-usa Today Sports)
Four years later, Canada again defeated the United States in the Olympic semi -final. The United States’ only victory in the aforementioned Span came during the 2010 group game, and their last meeting before last week was a 4-2 Canada victory in the 2016 World Cup in Toronto. So it has passed a while since the stars and the stripes have had to boast rights.
However, country’s best players would be on Hiatus after problems with NHL, planning, travel and Covid-19. But a year ago, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the new 4 Nations Face-Off were born and NHL players would return to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.
However, some skepticism came when this tournament approached: “This tournament is fake. Will the players break? What if there is an injury like Edwin Diaz in the World Baseball Classic?”
But that brings us to today, when almost a decade of unanswered options plus a heated political landscape has brought the best rivalry in hockey to a new level and that criticism is no more.
USA, Canada Hockey -Stars who fought against each other and throws subtle jabs in front of 4 Nations Final
From this month, as a response to President Donald Trump’s impending tariffs against Canada on goods, Canadian crowds have booed the national hymn of the United States during sporting events where an American team visits. When Team USA played its first 4 Nations game last Thursday against Finland, one would have thought the game was playing abroad, even if it was in Montreal.
Players and fans stand for the US national anthem before the first period of the 4 Nations Face-off game between Canada and the United States in Montreal on Saturday. (Christinne Muschi/Canadian Press via AP)
Find up to Saturday night when the fierce crowd booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” everywhere, and then gloves were dropped right at the opening of the face-off between American star Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel from Team Canada. On the next face-off, Matthew’s brother, Brady, Sam Bennett, who is teammates with Matthew for Florida Panthers. Then, six seconds later, after a goalkeeper stop, JT Miller threw hands with Colton Parayko.
The already electric crowd was on fire, and even more when Canada’s Connor McDavid opened the scoring in the first period. However, Team United States defense emerged and the Americans scored three unanswered goals to take home their first victory against Canada in almost 15 years. The game got an average of 4.4 million viewers, the most watched non-Stanley Cup Hockey game since 2019.
The American players are celebrating after defeating Canada in the 4 Nations Face-off game in Montreal on Saturday. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press via AP)
Now the two teams are again on it, this time in Boston for what is the hottest ticket in town. The entrance price is over $ 1,000, it is the best-selling NHL-sanctioned game of the season, and fans from 28 countries buy tickets to see.
Team USA has not won back-to-back competitions against Canada since the 1996 series. In total, Canada owns a 13-4-1 record over the Americans, but Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-off finals may just be worth 10 points.
The puck falls at TD Garden at. 20 et.
