USA vs. Canada Four Nations Round Robin Matchup – 02/15/25

The first rematch of the Canada vs. USA hockey rivalry in nine years for this year’s four-nation international tournament did not disappoint. Saturday night in the Bell Centre in Montreal was electric. These historic international hockey matchups carry much more weight than the professional league like most other sports and their fields of international play. Pre-game fans began entering the arena and getting to their seats up to an hour and a half before the players even took the ice for warmups. Fans and players alike could feel the anticipation and excitement beaming off of this matchup since it was scheduled and announced with this tournament in October of 2024.

Both teams seemed to be targeting this game as the first big, real test of each national program against the team each was built to beat. After Canada and Sweden opened the tournament on Thursday, Canada won 4-3 in overtime and gained a crucial two points to start, leaving Sweden with one. USA, respectively, also won their opening match against Finland 6-1. These results showed both teams were here and officially ready to play and start ramping up towards this matchup.

As the game drew closer to puck drop on Thursday media interviews began to reveal dozens of quotables from each player and team regarding the historical matchup and how much it has meant to them and the sport overall. Most players recognized and talked about dreaming about this game for months, if not years, since it was announced. USA alternate captain, and point leader through one game of the tournament, Matthew Tkachuk stated, “I’ve been waiting ten years to play this game against this team, how could I be nervous” when asked about any nerves for the game. Matthew and his brother Brady are both world-class American hockey talents with Matthew winning his first Stanley Cup last year for the Florida Panthers and Brady being a three-time all-star through his five-year career.

Their father, Keith Tkachuk was also a Hall of Famer in the NHL and had the opportunity to play on multiple USA hockey teams at international tournaments through the 1990s. The most famous of which involved the 1996 World Cup of Hockey American team that defeated, “the best international hockey team ever” in the Canadian team of that year. A team of Hall of Famers including Gretzky, Sakic, Yzerman, and Lindros was defeated twice by the first golden age of international American hockey.

In this modern-day rematch, and after such a long period of inactivity, for the world’s best on the international stage, the stakes were high and the atmosphere was epic. The Canadian crowd in the heart of Montreal provided a warm welcome to the Americans by booing their national anthem, as if the players needed any more reason to play. The energy was transmitted immediately into the game, within the first nine seconds of the game there were three full fights, and with 19:51 remaining in the first period 30 penalty minutes had been cast at the scorer’s table. Canada quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a burst of speed, a highlight reel goal from prominent NHL player Connor McDavid. The U.S. quickly answered with a goal from Jake Guentzel off a feed from Jack Eichel who was drafted one spot behind McDavid in the same draft. The American team quickly established a physical gameplan and presence throughout the first period leaving Canada with limited time and space to use their higher skill. This proved to be a successful way to keep the higher speed and skilled Canadians to the outside and keep chances low. Detroit Red Wings captain, and Michigan native, Dylan Larkin tallied another one for Team USA in the second period. The Americans came into the third up 2-1 and continued to grind away the clock and Canadians with physicality and forecheck. As time began to drag away, in the last two minutes Team Canada pulled their goaltender to tie the game and relinquished a fatal empty-net goal rocketed in by Guentzel once again.

The first best-on-best rematch, between these two hockey superpowers, in over nine years finished with a score of 3-1 and an away victory for the Americans. The win in regulation secured three more points for Team USA, placing them automatically into the championship game on Thursday. On the other side, Team Canada now needs to win against Finland in regulation on Monday night to make the championship game and force a rematch against a familiar foe. Jake Guentzel was voted the Four-Nations Player of the Game finishing with 2 Goals, and 1 Assist. He now leads all players in the Four-Nations Tournament with 4 Goals through two games.