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Greg WyshynskiFeb 15, 2025, 09:15 PM ET
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
Emotions boiled over in Team USA’s game against Canada with three fights in the first nine seconds of their 4 Nations Face-Off showdown on Saturday night in Montreal.
As the rivalry renewed, Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves against Canada’s Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, as an already amped up crowd roared. Tkachuk and Hagel are rivals in the NHL as well, playing for the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively.
This was the fastest ever fight to start an NHL international game, topping the previous record of 20 seconds in 1996 when Canada’s Keith Primeau and Claude Lemieux fought Team USA’s Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin in 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Tkachuk is the father of Team USA players Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. Guerin is the U.S. general manager in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
One second later, Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa) fought his older brother’s Florida teammate Sam Bennett off the faceoff, with Matthew Tkachuk slamming his arms against the glass of the penalty box in support.
Six seconds later, Team USA’s J.T. Miller (New York Rangers) fought Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues) after the two jostled in front of the Canadian net. Miller also received a cross-checking penalty on the play.
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“In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined, but it happened,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan in his first-period interview behind the bench. “It’s two passionate teams. It’s been a long time waiting, 10 years, these guys have waited for this. And you can tell that this is not an all-star game. This is a battle of the best of the best.”
The NHL hadn’t had a fight in an international tournament it had hosted since the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
The U.S.-Canada game at 4 Nations was years in the making. The NHL hadn’t participated in a “best on best” tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. An entire generation of star players are representing their countries for the first time in such a tournament, from Canada’s Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon to Team USA’s Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel.
“Saturday night in Canada, against Canada — I don’t think there’s much better than this for a hockey player of this level,” said Team USA’s Jake Guentzel, who scored his team’s first goal against Canada on Saturday night. “The crowd’s going to be intense, it’s going to be hostile, it’s going to be all of the above, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The showdown between the rivals took on an added dimension due to recent political tensions between the U.S. and Canada. President Donald Trump threatened — and subsequently enforced — significant tariffs on Canadian imports. Trump has also repeatedly made references to his proposal of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.
The U.S national anthem was booed by NHL fans in Canadian cities leading up to the tournament. There was a smattering of boos before the Americans’ win over Finland on Thursday, as the public address announcer at Bell Centre asked for the anthems to be respected. But before Saturday night’s game, the fans booed the introduction of the U.S. players by Olympic figure skating legend Michelle Kwan and loudly booed the anthem.
The U.S. entered the game needing a regulation win to secure its place in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game in Boston next Thursday night.
ESPN’s Kristen Shilton contributed to this report from Montreal.
