Whether they’re doing it secretly or openly, there will be a lot of American hockey fans rooting for Canada to beat Finland on Monday afternoon.
Hooked up to a polygraph, the Team USA players might admit the same thing.
A Canada win on Monday in Boston means that Canada and Team USA would play again in the final of the NHL 4 Nations Faceoff on Thursday at TD Garden. After Saturday’s game — a 3-1 American win — how could anyone not want a USA-Canada rematch? Anything other than Part Deux would be a letdown.
“What an incredible hockey game,” Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said.
USA vs. Canada hockey games are one of the few matchups in sports that reliably live up to expectations. The games are always physical, always emotional and almost always close.
Saturday checked all of those boxes.
History will remember it as the game that started with three fights in nine seconds. There are no goons in this tournament. These were elite stars squaring off.
“That was 10 years of no international hockey, exhaled in a minute and a half,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said.
Saturday was an outstanding night for the NHL and hockey as a whole. With the NFL done, baseball just starting spring training and the NBA in its All-Star break, this game was likely on an awful lot of sports bar TVs around the country. This was way more entertaining the the tired NBA Dunk Contest.
The fact that the game wasn’t on a school night meant lots of American and Canadian kids, who the league hopes will become the next generation of fans, could stay up and watch it.
Canada's Connor McDavid (97) scores on United States goaltender Connor Hellebuyck during the first period of a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)AP
Everyone who did see it on TV or in person was treated to some terrific hockey. The three fights to open the game set an aggressive tone for a physical night. But this wasn’t some sloppy Slapshot-style fight fest.
The overall result was international-caliber pace and puck movement with NHL-type physicality. It was a close game throughout with big hits and big saves.
The NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation have had some petty squabbles over the years. Those and COVID robbed fans and the players themselves of 10 years of similarly great matchups. This should be a reminder to both organizations that all levels of hockey benefit from the best in the world squaring off against each other.
The only thing missing was the threat of elimination. Everyone knew going in that the loser of the game could still — and very well might win the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off trophy.
A rematch on Thursday would take it up a notch. It would be like a Game 7, a winner-take-all battle between two of the best teams ever assembled. Who doesn’t want to see that?
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid lost the game, but still recognized he’d been part of something special.
“It was fun. It was really cool to be a part of. It shows how much it meant to both teams,” he said. “Everyone was raring to go.”
McDavid said it compared to playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s close, if not right there with it,” he said. “The emotions. The fans. The rivalry. It’s special to be a part of. … It was fast. Tight checking. Competitive. Emotional. It was everything you’d want in a hockey game. It sucks that it didn’t go our way, but this is far from over.”
Hopefully, he’s right.
Playing Finland would make it more likely for the United States to win a tournament. Playing Canada makes it more likely people will remember the game forever.
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