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Three fights in the first nine seconds and a chorus of deafening boos for the U.S. national anthem marked a stormy ice hockey clash between the United States and Canada in Montreal on Saturday.
An emotionally charged showdown between the star-studded line-ups of the North American rivals — which comes against a backdrop of political tension between the two neighboring countries — erupted into violence from the opening puck drop at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
The U.S. squad clinched a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off final Thursday at Boston with a 3-1 victory, but the result was almost a footnote to the mayhem that marked the start of a game played before a fiercely partisan Canadian crowd.
With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the crowd, home fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game, catcalls that have become a regular feature at NHL and NBA games in Canada since U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods crossing into U.S. borders.
Then came three fights in nine seconds.
“I just think it’s very indicative of what this means to the players,” USA coach Mike Sullivan said. “There’s two teams out there that are very competitive, that have a ton of pride for their respective teams and their countries.
“For me, when you have an investment in trying to win like the way that it occurred -– I think that’s an indication of it. What an incredible hockey game.”
Canada coach Jon Cooper, the two-time Stanley Cup champion coach for Tampa Bay who will guide the Canadian 2026 Olympic team, said the melee in the first moments was not pre-arranged.
“It wasn’t planned,” Cooper said. “That wasn’t two coaches throwing guys over and saying ‘This is happening’ – none of that happened. That was as organic as it gets.”
At the opening puck drop, the gloves came off for real on the ice as Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk of the United States began swinging punches as the crowd went wild and teammates skated back to give the brawlers a clear stage at center ice.
Referees restored order, sent the combatants to the penalty box and tried to restart the game, only for Canada’s Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk of the Americans to drop their gloves and trade punches until officials could break them apart, Tkachuk following his brother into the penalty box.
The game was restarted but only got to nine seconds before American J.T. Miller and Canada’s Colton Parayko began the third and final fight in the mayhem.
Asked about U.S. players having agreed on the fight-filled start beforehand on a group chat, Sullivan said he was unaware of such a move.
“These guys care very much about winning,” he said. “Brady and Matthew, they play the game with so much emotion -– and they’re leaders in so many ways.
“It’s just an indication of how much these guys care and how bad they want to win. I was not aware of it. Obviously, there’s a lot of energy around this game. I knew we were going to be jacked up to play.”
Top NHL players from the USA and Canada had not faced off against each other for their home nations since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the league’s best traditionally skipping the world championships and the NHL having chosen not to send its players to the 2018 PyeongChang or 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
“It was probably I guess 10 years of no international hockey exhaled in a minute and a half,” Cooper said.
The intense drama continued once the game began in earnest with Canada going ahead on Connor McDavid’s goal 5:31 into the first period.
But the Americans equalized on Jake Guentzel’s goal at 10:15 of the first period and the USA went ahead to stay on Dylan Larkin’s tally at 13:33 of the second period. The Americans sealed the triumph on Guentzel’s empty-net goal with 1:19 remaining in the third period.
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Too bad we lost the game but AFP missed half the story (intentionally?). We’re upset because Trump has threatened the entire country with annexation, and Canadians are fighting back. Annexation is a declaration of war, just ask Ukraine. Trump is copying Putin here. We have a better quality of life and live longer in Canada, Majority do no want to join the derelict USA. In fact it’s joining Canadians together in a unified protest never seen before. We’re more interested in selling our wares to Japan and EU. Canadians have cancelled trips to USA and are boycotting all USA made products to substantial US losses.
Also no where mentioned was that it was Flag Day in Canada, celebrating the 60th anniversary of our Maple Leaf. The gloves coming off and fighting with the Americans was all of us. Vive le Canada, un pays uni! (Long live Canada, a united country!)
Gotta set the tone boys! Gotta set the tone!
It wasn’t really fair seeing as it was 50 of the United States against only the 51st state.
At the opening puck drop, the gloves came off for real on the ice as Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk of the United States began swinging punches as the crowd went wild and teammates skated back to give the brawlers a clear stage at center ice.
Referees restored order, sent the combatants to the penalty box and tried to restart the game, only for Canada’s Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk of the Americans to drop their gloves and trade punches until officials could break them apart, Tkachuk following his brother into the penalty box.
The last time there was a fight in a NHL International game was in 1996, when the USA’s Keith Tkachuk (the father of the Tkachuk brothers) fought Canada’s Claude Lemieux
Clearly, hating Canadians runs in the family! lol
Of course the oft-used mantra:
“I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out!”
Yeah, all the 2-ply Americans that are whinging because the fans booed their anthem, calling it disrespectful (Which it is in all honesty, but come on …sports fans. What’d you expect?). But your Clown-in-Chief calling Canada the 51st state repeatedly isn’t disrespectful?? Get some perspective, seriously.
As for all you Americans saying it’s America’s sport now… I guess baseball is Japan’s sport then eh?
Canada doing its best to pretend it isn’t a lapdog of the USA in front of the world.
Disgusting, SHAME on each and every player that was involved in these fights, should be barred for a very long time.
In each of the fight that occurred today, there was already bad blood between the two combatants. To make anything more out of it means you don’t know anything about hockey.
I’ve been to a number of hockey games in my life. I’ve been thrown out of hockey games a few times for “inappropriate behavior” … er … along with hundreds of others. Always for really bad calls by the refs.
I’ve heard mothers of Canadian players yell some of the foulest things from the stands that would make any Navy man blush.
So, besides the booing – it seems like this was a typical hockey game to me.
Canadians clearly have no interest in becoming part of the USA (can’t blame them), so there’s nothing that Trump can do to make that happen. ZERO. Same for Greenland.
Just look at Puerto Rico. They’ve held 7 referendums locally to become the 51st state. The last time was last November. Over 58% of Puerto Ricans said they wanted to be a US State. The other choices were “Free Associated” and “Independent”.
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1:
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
So, “Congress” just needs to vote. Nothing about President involvement, though historically, the process has been:
The people living in the proposed area need to show significant support for statehood,
Congress usually passes a law making the proposed area a state, and
So, Puerto Rico is willing to be a US State, yet Congress hasn’t taken any steps and Trump hasn’t been yelling about it. Too many Democrats there and it would change the makeup of Congress in a way that the GOP wouldn’t have a majority anymore.
Oh Canada, can I move to your land? Here in the States, we’ve elected a madman….
playing the national anthem(s) at sporting events isn’t needed.
professional sports teams are two corporations playing against each other. it’s like mcdonald’s playing burger king.
getting people teary eyed about colored cloth and songs is just a social manipulation no different than what kim jong ill does, or german marching music.
get rid of the constant nationalism and you’ll be back to good, old regular hockey fights.
So many Canadians act like little children with hurt feelings. It was childish to boo the American anthem. The very same Canadian people who are suddenly patriotic spent the last 9 years crapping on their own country and flag. They have called Canada and it has been repeated in Canada’s left media “so called Canada.” They have spent years delegitimizing their own country. Now that Trump has called them out on their BS, a panic of the Canadian left has set in.
The current Trudeau government has done more economic damage, albeit over 10 years, that Trump led America has.
The Canadian supply management system dairy and poultry and the maple sugar cartel has inflicted punishing tariffs and restrictions on American business for decades. Canadians are too immature to realize that they would actually gain by allowing free trade on dairy and poultry.
Cell phone companies, airlines, banks, etc, etc run duopolies in Canada, protected by onerous regulations designed to eliminate competition. Canadians pay and pay for second hand service and are just not smart enough to eliminate the problems. Whenever a serious threat arrases to the closed market, people are told they are “under attack” and told to wave the flag.
It is ridiculous.
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