With a divisive federal election on the horizon, Canadians needed the 4 Nations Face-Off.
With the sabre-rattling Donald J. Trump threatening to annex Canada as the 51st state, Canadians needed the 4 Nations Face-Off.
What started as a respite from the tiresome task of making the NHL All-Star Game meaningful, ended with one of those “where-were-you moments”, as in: Where were you when Connor McDavid scored in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 win over the United States in the dramatic finale?
I was sitting in the Manoir, a cavernous resto-bar in N.D.G. with my friend, legal beagle Ian MacPhee, and we were surrounded by more than 200 rabid fans who dutifully acknowledged their allegiance by booing the U.S. anthem.
Canada hadn’t been involved in such a politically charged hockey game since the heyday of the Canada-Soviet Union rivalry. What was once a friendly rivalry morphed into open hostility and it was on display throughout the evening.
There was grumbling when The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, stepped on the ice as the honorary captain of Team Canada.
“Traitor,” one fan yelled over the din.
Gretzky, who is arguably the greatest player ever, became a controversial choice because, well, he isn’t very Canadian. He has lived in the U.S. since he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 and he has embraced Trump, partying with the U.S. president at Mar-a-Lago on election night and attending the inauguration last month. Trump has suggested that Gretzky would be the ideal governor if Canada became the 51st state.
The noise level made it impossible to hear O Canada, but we later learned that Chantal Kreviazuk, whose ancestors are Ukrainian and Métis, struck a defiant tone when she changed the words “in all of us command” to “only us command.”
It was a rebuke to Trump, whose talk of annexation turned a friendly rivalry into a battle of political ideologies. Trump called the U.S. team on the morning of the final to wish them luck and also repeated his claim that Canada would enjoy better security and lower taxes as the 51st state.
It’s a message Canadians have largely rejected, preferring to keep universal medical care and lower university tuition and prescription drug prices.
Trump’s bullying rubbed off on some of the U.S. players and the first meeting between the teams — a 3-1 victory for the U.S. at the Bell Centre — featured three fights in the first nine seconds.
The Tkachuk brothers were the prime instigators and their choice of opponents led credence to the suggestion these tough guys only drop their gloves when they enjoy a considerable size advantage.
Matthew Tkachuk, who is 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, took on 180-pounder Brandon Hagel, while little brother Brady, who is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, had three inches and 33 pounds on Sam Bennett.
The third U.S. combatant, J.T. Miller, is shorter and smaller than his opponent, Colton Parayko, but he might have thought he had an edge because Parayko, who has played more than 700 NHL games over 10 seasons, had only three previous fights. Miller figured wrong because Parayko was the clear winner.
The final was the kind of game you expect in international hockey. There was only one penalty, but the action was intense. The crowd cheered every Canadian goal and every save by Jordan Binnington, but the anxiety grew as the U.S. dominated the third period and the overtime.
But the joint exploded when McDavid scored the winner. Fans jumped to their feet and exchanged high-fives and hugs while cheers reverberated through the building. There was a giddiness as we watched the players collect their gold medals and strained to hear the interviews.
There was a perfect ending to the night when the players gathered at centre ice and sang O Canada. They were joined by the fans at the Manoir, who sang the anthem in both official languages, united by our national sport.
Back to reality: The good news is the Canadiens are 3-0 since the NHL returned to action after the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The bad news is the Canadiens haven’t made up much ground in their quest for a playoff spot. When play resumed last weekend, the Canadiens were 13th in the Eastern Conference standings and were six points back of Detroit, which occupied the last wild-card spot.
After beating San Jose in overtime Thursday, the Canadiens have moved up to 12th place but they are five points behind Columbus, which currently holds the final wild-card spot. Montreal can stay hot, but has to hope that some of the teams ahead hit cold spells.