There is no greater rivalry in hockey today than Canada against the United States.
And while it has been nine years since the best NHL players from both countries have faced each other, the magnitude of Saturday night’s preliminary-round game in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament at the Bell Centre (8 p.m., Citytv, ABC, SN, TVA Sports, 98.5 FM) can’t be overlooked or diminished.
“Growing up as a young kid, when you go play American teams, you want to beat them so bad,” L.A. Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said following Team Canada’s intense 60-minute practice Friday morning at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. “I don’t want to say you grow a hatred, but you want to beat them so bad. I still have that feeling at 35 years old, how bad you want to beat the Americans.
“They’re a really good team and it’s going to be a tough battle. This is probably the most exciting matchup of the tournament.”
No kidding. Both teams won their opening games and are expected to meet in the Feb. 20 final at Boston’s TD Garden.
Canada needed overtime to defeat Sweden, 4-3, Wednesday night — twice squandering two-goal leads — while the U.S. cruised to a 6-1 victory against Finland on Thursday, exploding for four unanswered third-period goals.
Tensions between the two countries have entered the political landscape recently with President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. Bell Centre spectators booed the Star-Spangled Banner on Thursday despite pleas from the public-address announcer to refrain.
And while Canadian NHL players on Friday were loath to discuss politics — an area in which most have little or no knowledge — they realize hockey fans from both countries will be watching intensely with bragging rights, at least temporarily, at stake.
Doughty is one of only three Team Canada players, along with captain Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand, still remaining from the squad that defeated the U.S., 4-2, on Sept. 20, 2016, in the World Cup of Hockey en route to its championship victory against Team Europe. And Crosby scored what has come to be known as the golden goal, seven minutes into overtime, against American goaltender Ryan Miller at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
“Whether it’s Olympics, World Cups, world championships, whatever it is, world juniors, those games are the ones you remember,” said Boston’s Marchand. “European teams are extremely competitive and some of the best ever, but the U.S. games are the ones you remember and look forward to.”
And the nine-year hiatus between games won’t do anything to diminish the rivalry, Marchand said.
“You could go 100 years and the rivalry will still be … everyone will still know the importance and get up for it,” he said. “That rivalry will go on forever. It’ll always be the biggest rivalry in hockey.”
The NHL-sanctioned competition will pit teammates against each other. Canada’s Mitch Marner, who scored the overtime winner against Sweden, must now face Auston Matthews, his Toronto linemate. Similarly Florida’s Sam Bennett, a healthy scratch in the opener, competes against Matthew Tkachuk, his Panthers teammate, who scored twice while adding an assist against Finland.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Marner said. “(Matthews) is a highly competitive guy and a highly skilled guy. You look forward to those moments. Obviously he’s one of my best friends. I’ve been with him for nine years, gone through a lot of ups and downs with him. It’s going to be fun to face-off against him for the first time in a while.
“We’re both competitive guys and we’re playing for different teams. That’s how you do it.”
Canada head coach Jon Cooper has inserted Bennett on a line between Marchand and Seth Jarvis. And Cooper, who coaches Tampa Bay, has united three Lightning players — Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel — on the same line. That makes Flyers’ Travis Konecny a healthy scratch.
Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar didn’t practice on Friday due to an undisclosed illness. But Cooper said he’s confident Makar will recover and play. Cooper refused to disclose his starting goaltender before informing them, although the Blues’ Jordan Binnington faced Sweden. Cooper did state he’d like every player to get into at least one game.
“I think it’s going to be really, really good hockey players against really, really good hockey players,” Cooper said. “I think it’s going to be a ton of fun. They have an exceptional team. Most of these kids … this is new for everybody. I think because of that, because it’s new, it’s fresh and it has been so long, the boys will be amped up on both sides. This will be a unique game. This, for the prelim, will probably be the game.”