Trump tensions fuel U.S.-Canada hockey clash
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American Matthew Tkachuk and Canada's Brandon Hagel fight during the opening seconds of a 4 Nations Face-Off tournament game on Saturday. Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Political tensions between the U.S. and Canada are colliding with a high-stakes hockey game Thursday night between the sport's major superpowers.
Why it matters: The drama-filled matchup, featuring the best players from Team USA and Canada, has become the most anticipated international hockey game in over a decade.
- "It's the dream scenario. It's the biggest game that I've ever played in my whole life," American Matt Boldy told reporters.
- "That's the matchup you want. For us. For them. I'm sure for TV. For everything. It's the most exciting game."
The big picture: President Trump's shock suggestion that Canada should become America's "51st state" is blowing up the finals for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off — a midseason tournament that replaced this year's All-Star Game.
- Canadian crowds booed the "Star Spangled Banner" at the two American games that took place in Canada early in the tournament.
- A first-round game between the U.S. and Canada on Saturday featured three fights in the first nine seconds.
- Reporters later learned Team USA's J.T. Miller and brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk pre-planned the scrums.
Zoom in: Trump's potential trade war and insistence on calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "governor" have poured gasoline onto the fire.
- Bill Guerin, Team USA's general manager and current Minnesota Wild exec, told Fox News "We would love it if President Trump was in attendance" at the finals against Canada, which are taking place in Boston.
- This morning, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was calling the team "to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State."
Between the lines: The tournament, which also featured Sweden and Finland, gave fans a rare taste of true "best-on-best" international hockey.
- Hockey has struggled to adopt a tournament consistently featuring the top men's teams, especially since the NHL pulled its players out of the Olympics.
- NHL players will return to the Olympics next year in Italy for the first time since 2014. That tournament will also feature the world's top Russian and Czech players, who were snubbed from the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Flashback: The last time the U.S. and Canada met for the finals of a major international event was at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
- Only two players in tonight's finals — Canada's Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty — played in that game, where Crosby's goal beat Team USA in overtime.
By the numbers: The tournament has drawn some of the NHL's best ratings in a decade.
- More than 4.4 million viewers tuned in on ESPN for last week's U.S.-Canada contest — the most for a non-Stanley Cup Final game since 2019, the network said.
The U.S.-Canada rematch for the tournament title starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
