The game we’ve all been waiting for is here, Team Canada vs Team USA in the final game of the Four Nations tournament, the first best-on-best final since the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Tonight, I’ll be reporting in a live feed, starting with pre-game comments, highlights of the massive on-line outburst about the big game:
PRE-GAME:
The Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins 🇨🇦 @KurtLeavins
The Four Nations Face-off is not The Stanley Cup Finals. But if you don’t think last season’s Game 7 loss is fuelling Connor McDavid tonight…
Hockey Canada @HockeyCanada
ROSTER UPDATE | Josh Morrissey (illness) will not play tonight. Thomas Harley will draw into the lineup. 🇨🇦
Oilers fan Ahmed @NHL_Bouchard
Americans who’ve never watched a game of hockey treating the game tonight like it’s world war 3
Hockey writer Cam Robinson @Hockey_Robinson
BREAKING: Chris Kreider will draw into the lineup tonight for Team USA.Kyle Connor expected to be the odd-man out.
David Staples, the Cult of Hockey
Soviet Union in 1972, 1976, 1984, 1987.
Canada specializes in beating up superpower bullies.
We got this.
Sportsnet’s Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 @SportsnetSpec
This might be the biggest Canada-Russia game since ‘72!
Former Oilers and Team USA player Ryan Whitney @ryanwhitney6
For so long Canada has always won these games but times have changed. We’ve reached another level as a country and tonight is the beginning of a new team dominating the world in hockey. Let’s go 🇺🇸
CBC reporter Min Dhariwal @MinDhariwal
I’m seriously contemplating a Canadian flag chest tattoo… do NOT tell my mom though 🇨🇦
US senator Ted Cruz @tedcruz
Let’s go Team USA!!! 🇺🇸 🏒
Winner keeps Canada. 😂😂
Former NHL Matthew Barnaby @MattBarnaby3636
CAN USA will be electric!! Not as BIG as a Stanley Cup but the tension between 2 countries bc of politics makes Best on Best even better!! 2 Great teams with a lot of pride.
US sports commentator Jason Whitlock @WhitlockJason
There was more focus on Kevin Hart on NBA All-Star Weekend than the actual game. That’s why it’s dead. Tonight’s NHL All-Star game, USA vs. Canada, is going to be incredible because of the game. Nobody’s going to be forced to care about what’s going on off the rink.
NBA great Charles Barkley
Go USA! We havin’ Canadian bacon tonight, ya’ll! 😂
Montreal hockey writer Eric Engels @EricEngels
Canada’s Mark Stone on impact of 4 Nations on hockey: “There’s always room for growth in everything but it is mindboggling to see it (even) growing in Canada. It makes me happy to see that. Being Canadian, I live and die by playing hockey, watching hockey, representing my country, watching my country play hockey. It’s exciting to see other countries are starting to follow suit and understand how great this game is, so it means a lot what this tournament’s done.”
ESPN analyst RachelDoerrie @racheldoerrie
It is disingenuous to say the sitting president mentioned to players that he wants to annex the country they’re playing, but this game isn’t being used as a political forum… Media needs to stop treating Guerin with kid gloves. He was the one on a political show discussing this…Great of Bill Guerin to lead the charge in hijacking the story of the 4 Nations tournament final to a political discourse instead of what the US was originally doing: winning for the Gaudreau family. Well done, Bill. Instead of celebrating that, a bunch of right wing chuds have made it a political pissing contest. Excellent leadership.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo @RussoHockey
I asked Guerin if President Trump talked to the USA players about making Canada the 51st state: “A little bit, but I would just try to focus on the message that he was giving us. I’ve said it before: We’re here to play hockey. This is not a political forum. This is a hockey tournament. And he’s just trying to be supportive in the best way that he could, and we appreciate it.”
NHL writer Dan Rosen @drosennhl
USA d-man Brock Faber on USA-Canada:
“Regardless of what’s going on politically, I think for us USA and Canada have always hated each other on the ice, right. That’s how I look at it. I think that’s how all the guys look at it. It’s nothing more than just the hatred we have for each other
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski @wyshynski
Team Canada’s Jon Cooper on whether the geo-political issues between his country and the U.S. has entered the locker room: “Other than the talk of [Canada becoming] the 51st state and then somebody saying, ‘Wow, we’d have one hell of a hockey team.’”
Calgary hockey writer Darren Haynes @DarrenWHaynes
It’s finally here. As a Canadian, I’ve been looking forward to today seemingly forever. The build-up, the hype, the giddy anticipation as soon as I knew what was coming, yet it took so long to get here! Well, no more sleeps, it’s upon us. Back to above-zero temperatures, baby!☀️
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston @reporterchris
Some 4 Nations championship notes:
— If overtime is needed, it’ll be played the same as the Stanley Cup Playoffs: 5-on-5, with 20-minute periods until we get a winner
— Winning team gets a trophy, gold medals and a cash prize
— MVP voted on by a panel of 12 broadcasters
The Journal’s Jim Matheson @jimmathesonnhl
Trump is looney tunes and everything he says has a political agenda
Boston podcaster Pete Blackburn @PeteBlackburn
4 Nations is a made-up tournament with no real stakes, but USA-Canada has created a monster…and now it matters more than we could have imagined… I wish I could bottle up how I feel right now & drink it for the rest of my life. Being this amped for a Thursday night exhibition hockey game in February 🤌🤌🤌
NHL network analyst Mike Kelly @MikeKellyNHL
One thing 🇺🇸USA has done far better than other teams in the tournament – quick passes at the offensive blueline to create off-the-rush. USA with more than double the number of chances off pass entries than anyone else and a far greater percentage leading to scoring chances…
The Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin @MLarkinHockey
Brad Marchand for me is the X-Factor on either team tonight. He’s had a quiet tourney, not on the mic but on the ice. He needs to use his agitator superpower to get USA in penalty trouble. He low-key has potential to influence this game a lot, but will have to do it with low TOI.
Former NHL star Chris Pronger @chrispronger
Here are 3 things that need to happen for Canada to be victorious.
1. With Cale Makar back in the lineup having missed the last game against the USA on Saturday he brings a steadying influence and puck moving skills. But most importantly he brings balance to the back end. This is vital to how they defend the potent offense of the Americans
2. This goes without saying but the three headed monster need to be the best players in the World. McDavid, MacKinnon and Crosby need to take over but that will be no small feat based on the last game. But like all great players adjustments they will make adjustments.
3. Last but not least and most importantly Jordan Binnington needs to make the saves when Canada needs them the most…
Now here are 3 things the USA must do to win this rematch.
1. With the loss of Charlie McAvoy the defense must band together and put on another masterclass defensively. Slavin, Hanifin, Werenski and Faber will be carrying a heavy load in McAvoy’s absense….
2. Hellebuyck needs to play within himself. He handles the puck so well and makes saves look routine. Trust me they are not. Expect much of the same but this is his first test in this type of best on best moment….
3. Lastly for the USA to win this game in my humble opinion they need to bring the energy and passion like Saturday but amplify it to another level because Canada will make adjustments and this game will be a dog fight to the end.
My prediction …. 3-2 Canada 🇨🇦
NFL football great JJ Watt @JJWatt
It’s just incredible how much of a home run 4 Nations has been for the NHL and hockey in general. Friends who never watched a hockey game in their lives reaching out asking what the plan is for tonight’s game, what food we’re ordering, etc. Definition of growing the game.
