Only in Canada Only in Canada
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Saturday night’s highly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off game between Canada and the United States in Montreal got off to a fiery start — long before the puck even dropped.
The tournament, featuring Canada, the U.S., Sweden, and Finland, was meant to be a high-stakes warm-up for the next Winter Olympics. But let’s be real: when Canada and the U.S. face off, it’s never just a game. And with everything going on politically, this was one for the history books.
For weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has been stirring the pot, threatening tariffs on Canada and even suggesting it should become the 51st state. As a result, Canadians have been leaning hard into their national pride by buying local, flying flags, and, apparently, bringing their frustration straight into the Bell Centre.
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in attendance, the atmosphere in Montreal felt even more intense. Whatever mix of frustration, pride, and pure hockey passion was fueling the crowd, it was obvious early on that this wasn’t going to be just another game.
And so, as longtime Montreal Canadiens announcer Michel Lacroix urged spectators to “respect” both national anthems, fans, draped in red and white, made their feelings loud and clear. Hockey insider Frank Seravalli captured the moment heavy boos rained down during The Star-Spangled Banner — despite the anthem being performed by Royal Canadian Air Force officer David Grenon.
And then, chaos.
Just two seconds into the game, Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves, sending the crowd into a frenzy. One second later, Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk squared off at centre ice, turning up the heat even more.
The teams managed to go a whole six seconds without a fight before Colton Parayko and J.T. Miller kept the party going, sending the already-rowdy Bell Centre into absolute mayhem.
Despite the electric crowd and home-ice advantage, Canada just couldn’t keep up. Team USA came out victorious with a 3-1 win, locking in the top spot in the tournament standings. With six points already in the bag, they’re officially untouchable at the top, even if Canada wins its next game in regulation.
Sweden and Finland each sit at two points, tied with Canada (0-1-0-1), as the round-robin portion moves to its final two games at TD Garden in Boston on Monday.
For Canada, this one stings. But the tournament isn’t over yet. With one more game to go, they still have a shot at meeting their southern rivals again in Thursday’s final.
In the meantime, we’ll have to wait to see if American fans give O Canada the same treatment.
