This outcome marked the conclusion of a tournament held during the season, showcasing prominent players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, within a surprisingly politically charged setting.
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| Canada's Connor McDavid #97 celebrates after his game-winning goal against the United States during an overtime period of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship hockey game, in Boston, on Feb. 20, 2025.Charles Krupa / AP |
Canada triumphed over the USA on Thursday, claiming the title at the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament. This victory concluded what had evolved into a highly competitive and politically infused event.
Connor McDavid's overtime goal secured a 3-2 victory for Canada at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, where ticket prices had surged leading up to the highly anticipated final match.
The result represented the climax of a mid-season tournament that included star players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Acknowledged as one of the most significant international hockey games in recent years, Thursday’s competition might serve as a preview for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. These Olympics will mark the return of NHL players since 2014.
“I know it’s just a quick tournament and it’s not an Olympic gold medal or anything like that but it means the world to our group,” McDavid stated on ESPN following the victory. “We worked so hard all week. It’s special.”
Canada opened the scoring 4 minutes and 48 seconds into the first period. Nathan MacKinnon skated towards the center of the ice, unleashing a wrist shot through a crowd of players that soared past American goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The U.S. leveled the score with 3:08 remaining in the period. Auston Matthews attempted a wrap-around shot but lost control of the puck. It ended up at the feet of Brady Tkachuk, who tapped it into the net off a deflection.
The U.S. gained their first lead 7:31 into the second period. After Zach Werenski’s slapshot was blocked, the puck went to Matthews. He attempted to pass the puck across the goal, but it was deflected to Jake Sanderson, who scored with a snapshot. This marked his first goal of the tournament.
Canada equalized with six minutes left in the second period. Mitch Marner located Sam Bennett on the left wing, who fired a wrist shot past Hellebuyck.
McDavid secured the win 8:18 into overtime with a one-timer, assisted by Marner.
McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers' star widely regarded as the NHL's best player, described his performance leading up to that point in the game as "not very good."
"All that was going through my mind was keep going," he said postgame. "I struggled all night but these guys played great and we found a way.”
The championship game concluded the first best-on-best men’s hockey tournament in almost a decade, the last being the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. NHL players were not permitted to participate in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, but they are set to return for the 2026 Games.
This circumstance heightened the significance of the 4 Nations tournament, which the NHL established as a replacement for the traditional All-Star Game this season.
Players who had long been deprived of the chance to play meaningful games for their country could now compete for international prestige. To date, fans, players, and executives have commented on the intensity and quality displayed during the games.
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| Canada goalie Jordan Binnington, from left, looks back at the puck on a goal by United States' Jake Sanderson during the second period of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship hockey game, in Boston, on Thursday.Charles Krupa / AP |
The stakes were additionally amplified due to ongoing political tensions between the U.S. and Canada. Recently, President Donald Trump has promoted the concept of the U.S. absorbing Canada as the “51st state” and advocated for hockey icon Wayne Gretzky to become the Canadian premier. Trump has threatened extensive tariffs on the country, stating he would exert “economic force” on the nation to take over the U.S.’s northern neighbor.
This environment has resulted in the booing of the American national anthem at sporting events throughout Canada in recent weeks, including during the last matchup between the USA and Canada in Montreal on Saturday.
Players from both teams—many on the Canadian team play for NHL teams located in the U.S., while some on the American squad play for the league’s Canadian franchises—condemned the booing of the anthem. However, the start of Saturday’s game, which the U.S. won 3-1, featured three separate fights between U.S. and Canadian players moments after the puck dropped.
Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and J.T. Miller, key players for Team USA, revealed after the game that they had planned the fights beforehand in a group chat. Brandon Hagel, a forward for Team Canada who fought Matthew Tkachuck at the start of Saturday’s game, told reporters Tuesday, “I think we’re out there playing for the flag, not the cameras.”
“That’s a part of Canada that we have in there,” Hagel continued. “We don’t need to initiate anything. We don’t have any group chats going on. We’re going out there playing our game and then giving it everything and doing it for our country. We don’t need to initiate everything. We’re just going to play as hard as we can and do it for the flag on the chest.”
Matthew Tkachuk responded Wednesday, saying: “Maybe their team doesn’t like each other if they don’t have group chats.”
Bill Guerin, the general manager of Team USA, told Fox News earlier this week he invited Trump to attend the Thursday contest.
On Thursday, Trump called the American players to speak with them ahead of the championship match. He had previously taunted Canada on his Truth Social platform, stating he would be calling the American 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.”
“I will be speaking before the Governors tonight in D.C., and will sadly, therefore, be unable to attend. But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome,” Trump added.
He has recently taken to mocking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended Saturday's game in Montreal, referring to him as “governor.” The Canadian embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
via. nbcnews
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