Red, White, and Bruised: USA Drops the Gloves and Drops Canada in 4 Nations Face-Off

It was the game we'd been waiting for. The ultimate rivalry was a decade in the making, and the stakes couldn't be higher. The Canadians booed Team USA's national anthem, but the Americans hit 'em where it hurt the most.

Nine years. That's how long Matthew Tkachuk had waited for USA-Canada on the best-on-best stage. When the moment finally arrived in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team USA set the tone. On Canadian Flag Day, it shattered Canada's 17-game win streak in best-on-best play and Sidney Crosby's 26-game heater in a red leaf. It punched its ticket to the championship with a bruising 3-1 victory in Montreal's Bell Centre on Saturday.

The Red, White, and Bruisers came ready. They proved it's a new generation of USA hockey, and they're done playing second fiddle. Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel didn't waste a moment before throwing hands, the first of three fights in the opening nine seconds. Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett followed right after, and New York Rangers star J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko made it an all-out war before the game officially began. Miller even threw an uppercut so hard at Parayko that he punched his helmet off. The Tkachuk brothers high-fived in the penalty box like they'd just finished a backyard brawl. The DJ played All Night Long, but no one could hear it over the crowd's roar. It was the perfect amount of chaos.

Every net-front battle turned into a scrum. Every board battle had an extra shove, an extra slash, an extra reminder that this wasn't just another game.

"We wanted to send a message," Matthew Tkachuk said. "It's our time. We're in a hostile environment, and we wanted to show that we're not backing down.

Matthew Tkachuk saw Hagel's name on the lineup card and knew exactly how this game would start.

"I wasn't saying no," Hagel admitted. "I don't think he was expecting what he got from me."

That was the fuse, and the fireworks didn't stop from there. There was high-end skill, brutal defense, elite goaltending, and bad blood. The first period alone saw 31 hits — including Charlie McAvoy leveling Connor McDavid twice. McDavid, being McDavid, still pulled off a ridiculous backhand roof job over Connor Hellebuyck, but that was about the only thing aside from their fans belting "Oh Canda," that went Canada's way.

Pure Chaos, Pure Hockey

Once the actual hockey got underway, the intensity didn't drop for a second. The first considerable controversy came when Connor McDavid got tripped with no call, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy. The NHL refs were in charge of this game, not the IIHF, and the Montreal faithful were letting them know how they felt. Moments later, Auston Matthews broke into Canada's zone for the first big scoring chance of the night, but Sidney Crosby was all over him, stripping the puck and racing the other way for a dangerous look of his own. Mark Stone nearly buried the rebound.

And then McDavid did what McDavid does best. Taking a feed from Drew Doughty, McDavid exploded into the American zone, cut inside like only he can, and lifted a backhand over Hellebuyck. Pure magic sent the Bell Centre into delirium.

Yet just five minutes later, Jake Guentzel answered right back. Jack Eichel found him in the low slot, and Guentzel snapped a quick wrister five-hole past Jordan Binnington to silence the crowd. As Free Bird blasted through the arena to a chorus of boos, reminiscent of their 2025 back-back World Juniors triumph over Canada in Ottawa, the U.S. had tied it up.

The special teams battle took over from there. Crosby headed to the box for a strategic hook on Matt Boldy, preventing what would have been a tap-in goal. Matthews got a golden chance on the ensuing power play, but Binnington threw himself across the crease to rob Guentzel on the rebound. Not to be outdone, Canada drew a power play of their own when Josh Morrissey was tripped on a zone entry. McDavid nearly struck again on a cross-ice pass this time, but Hellebuyck made a massive glove save to keep things even.

The final minute of the period was all Canada. Brayden Point had three massive chances in tight, but Hellebuyck shut the door with his right pad. On the final attempt, Miller made a desperation stick block to stop what looked like a sure goal. The shots were 8-7 for the U.S.; the score was locked at 1-1, culminating in one of the most intense opening periods in international hockey history. The best part was that there were still forty more minutes to go.