The highly anticipated matchup between national teams USA and Canada on Saturday night started with three fights within the first nine seconds of the match.
USA and Canada met on the ice during the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, a round-robin tournament featuring Sweden and Finland in addition to the North American neighbors. Team USA led the tournament entering the match after a 6-1 rout of Finland. Canada entered the game second after a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden.
The longtime rivals USA and Canada began their match with three separate rounds of fisticuffs. USA’s Matthew Tkachuk and Canada’s Brandon Hagel dropped gloves as soon as the puck hit the ice on Saturday night. Brady Tkachuk traded blows with Sam Bennett immediately after, with the referees stepping in after Tkachuk took Bennett down on the ice. J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko finished up the trio of bouts.
MATTHEW TKACHUK AND BRANDON HAGEL DROP THE GLOVES OFF THE BAT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NlBt1UcHRf
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025
NOW BRADY TKACHUK AND SAM BENNETT ARE THROWING HAYMAKERS 🔥
THIS IS USA-CANADA HOCKEY 😱 pic.twitter.com/TlqEfR0uIL
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025
WE’VE GOT A THIRD FIGHT NINE SECONDS INTO THE GAME
JT MILLER AND COLTON PARAYKO 🚨 pic.twitter.com/EcYyGPl8Ir
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025
The match between USA and Canada was looked forward to by players on both teams as the latest chapter in the rivalry.
“I think it’s going be the biggest game that I’ve ever played in my career,” Brady Tkachuk said ahead of the big game. “I’m really looking forward to that. There’s a big buildup to it. USA vs. Canada is bigger than just the guys on the ice. There’s so many people past, present and down the road [that it affects]. We’ve been talking about this game especially.”
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The animus between USA and Canada began to show during USA’s matchup with Finland when Canadian hockey fans jeered the United States’ national anthem.
“When you play the Americans, you want to beat them so bad,” Canada defenseman Drew Doughty said before the USA-Canada game. “And I still have this feeling at 35 years old, how bad [I] want to beat the Americans. They’re a really good hockey team. … It’s going to be a tough battle. But this is probably the most exciting matchup of the tournament.”
The tension between the two sides recently drifted off the ice when President Donald Trump threatened to slap heavy tariffs on Canada before an agreement was reached on border security.
