'It's our time': Epic showdown reveals USA desperately wants Canada's crown
MONTREAL - Matthew Tkachuk sat down at an interview station in the bowels of the Bell Centre late Saturday night. A grey towel rested on his shoulders. His game face still on, he looked like a boxer who'd gone 10 rounds, finally caught his breath, and wanted to immediately relive all the bloody glory.
He fielded multiple questions about the most explosive start to a major-league hockey game in recent memory. Was Tkachuk's game-opening fight - one of three within the first nine seconds of action - related in any way to Canadian fans relentlessly booing the U.S. national anthem?
"No, no," the proud American scoffed.
"That's called me, Brady, and Millsy in a group chat during the day."
Brady Tkachuk, knee to knee and sharing a microphone with Matthew in front of a giant 4 Nations Face-Off media contingent, was asked a few minutes later about plotting back-to-back-to-back fights in a text message thread with his brother and fellow forward J.T. Miller.
"Well, there was a little discussion during the day" said Brady, the younger but larger Tkachuk.
"Tell the truth. You can tell him the truth," Matthew said, interjecting to nudge Brady like only a big brother can. "Yeah," a suddenly enthusiastic Brady continued, "there was a group chat going on today."
The brotherly exchange underlined the central theme of a truly electric 3-1 Team USA victory. The U.S., with its relatively young lineup filled with fiercely competitive stars, arrived at the rink Saturday prepared to do whatever it took to deliver a message to Canada and the greater hockey world.
"It's our time right now," Matthew said.
First came the deafening boos during the U.S. national anthem - a response to political tension between the neighboring countries. Second came Matthew Tkachuk challenging Canada's Brandon Hagel to a center-ice showdown.
The combatants quickly assumed boxing stances then threw haymakers for 25 seconds. Hagel even saluted the crowd with a WWE-style celebration.
"He just told me we were going, and I wasn't saying no," said Hagel, who's fought just twice in 100-plus NHL games since Sept. 2023.
"A little bit of the talk was that these guys were going to take over the 'Canadian way,'" Hagel added. "But we're not going to let it happen."
The building officially on tilt, left winger Brady lined up at center and immediately dropped his mitts to take on Sam Bennett, who had been inserted into Canada's lineup in part to interfere with the brothers and their shenanigans. A minute later, Brady dapped Matthew upon entry to the penalty box. It was a scene straight out of "The Mighty Ducks" - the 2025 Bash Brothers.
"We knew what the crowd was going to be like," Brady said of USA being the villain in a hostile environment. "We knew that was the role that we're just built for."
The puck was actually handled on the third faceoff of the game. However, after a quick whistle, Miller initiated a fight with monstrous Canadian defenseman Colton Parayko. The American got fed. The noise rose to an impossibly high volume, all 21,000-plus people in the Bell Centre along for the ride. Six players were in the box serving major penalties with 19:51 on the game clock.
"Mayhem," Canada head coach Jon Cooper said of the start.
One fight is notable. Three in a row to open a game is stranger than fiction in an era in which we see one fight every four NHL games. Don't these guys have day jobs? What about injury risks?
"What a start. NHL GMs are dying right now," a prominent NHLPA agent texted theScore during the chaos.
"Not many times do you get to suit up and fight for your country," explained Bennett, who sounded more like a soldier than a hockey player as he spoke.
The marquee matchup of the 4 Nations' round-robin schedule had been highly anticipated, especially following an exceptionally strong first three games of the tournament. But nothing could prepare anyone for the primal, arm-hair-raising atmosphere, which was enhanced by pregame hype from legendary MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre. (Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau was also in attendance - though he didn't appear on the Jumbotron like other celebrities.)
For a moment, it felt like a full line brawl was next on the fight card and that the fisticuffs would end only if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman grabbed the PA announcer's microphone and threatened indefinite suspensions. But both teams put the sideshow to the side following the Miller-Parayko throwdown.
Chippy, precise, and fast-paced hockey arrived in its place. Not a single inch of ice went uncontested in the first 20 minutes. Forward Dylan Larkin notably bumped Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington to cause an early scrum, while defenseman Charlie McAvoy delivered two thunderous body checks on Connor McDavid shortly after the Canadian superstar opened the scoring.
Media members tried to contextualize the chaos in the first intermission. One former NHLer turned well-known broadcaster who's played for his country couldn't believe his eyes. "That was INSANE," he said, repeatedly. A writer with four decades of experience labelled it the most "emotionally charged" period he's seen. Others in the press box simply wore a look of disbelief.
While the temperature was turned down in the second and third periods, neither disappointed from an entertainment perspective. After two periods, the Americans were up 2-1 with offensive-zone time nearly even (4:28-4:03 for Canada) and odd-man rushes tied 2-2. In the third, the Canadians generated limited offense from the middle of the ice. It turned out to be their downfall.
Canada's blue line, already depleted thanks to a tournament-ending injury to Shea Theodore, lost top defenseman Cale Makar to illness right before Saturday's game. Makar's replacement, Thomas Harley, filled in nicely, and Brayden Point and Hagel stood out up front, yet the offense kept running into American sticks and bodies. Captain Sidney Crosby struggled to create all night and, in an uncharacteristic move, turned the puck over to Matt Boldy late in the second.
Boldy quickly moved the puck to Larkin, who fired it off the rush without hesitation to trigger the blaring of Team USA anthem "Free Bird."
"There's no, like, 'Ah, I need to get it to this guy," Brady said of the Americans not overthinking it on offense. "Everybody just has each other's backs. Whatever play they make, support and say they made the right play. That starts from our grassroots at the U.S. (National Team Development) Program, with the connections that we have and just the bond that we have already."
Cooper and his players didn't sound or look overly discouraged in the Canada locker room. There's still plenty of hope. Monday features the final two round-robin games - Canada versus Finland and USA versus Sweden. The Americans punched their ticket to next Thursday's championship by beating Canada, who can join them with a regulation win over the Finns.
When Zach Werenski grabbed his phone after the victory, he was shocked by the sheer number of messages. The defenseman told theScore that amid words of encouragement and congratulations from family and friends were texts from teammates and rival players. The stunned NHLers raved about the drama, the atmosphere, the fact they had just watched an instant classic, and how good this entire 4 Nations tournament has been for the sport.
Matthew Tkachuk missed a chunk of the third after suffering a lower-body injury. Like Makar, his status is up in the air as the event shifts to Boston. But whatever's ailing him, it didn't dampen his postgame mood. Beating Canada in Canada on Saturday night, in that fashion, for Americans of a certain age and era - it means the world. They're sick of the rivalry being one-sided at best-on-best events at the men's level.
"To us, this is as big of a game as it gets," Matthew said.
"This is what you dream about."
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).