Canada beats US in revenge hockey rematch played on political thin ice

After the two nations engaged in a championship match that went beyond ice hockey, Canada defeated the United States.

The 4 Nations Face Off final ended 3-2 in overtime.

The two neighboring nations, who have long been friendly rivals on the ice, would have enjoyed a significant victory on any typical day.

However, Donald Trump’s persistent musings to annex Canada and make it the 51st state heightened the conflict this time with the looming threat of an economically damaging trade war.

General Manager of Team USA, Bill Guerin, gave the player an invitation to the Boston game. The US president made a point of calling the team to wish them good luck despite being unable to attend.

He also repeated his desire to absorb Canada, writing in a Truth Social post ahead of the game that he hoped the country “will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished and very important, Fifty First State”.

Later, David McGuinty, Canada’s public safety minister, claimed that Trump’s quip indicated that the president was “worried about the outcome” of the game.

After Canada’s victory, outgoing PM Justin Trudeau – dubbed “Governor Trudeau” by Trump – posted on X: “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game”.

For fans across North America, the final was a “dream match-up”, ice hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman told the BBC. The top men’s ice hockey players from Canada and the US haven’t squared off in such a significant match since the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid from Canada and American Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel from both nations make up the top players in the National Hockey League (NHL). This new generation of players had a chance to demonstrate themselves in the game.

The game, however, was also a personal one, giving both devoted and non-believers the chance to bask in Canadian pride at a time when its closest neighbor appears to be in danger of threatening the nation’s sovereignty.

Since Trump threatened a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods, vocal protests of the US anthem have become a common sight at Canadian sports games.

Fans sung the Canadian anthem loudly, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In the first nine seconds of the game between the American and Canadian players, three fist fights then broke out on the ice. Even by ice hockey standards, where fights are common, it was an incredible sight.

After the brawls, Matthew Tkachuk, a Team USA player who was one of the victims, said to reporters that his team needed to convey the message, “It’s our time right now.”

The decisive 3-1 victory over Canada was perhaps the loudest message that day.

Few Canadians dispute the significance of ice hockey in the country’s identity.

The sport has served as a backdrop to some of the most patriotic moments in Canada’s history, like Sidney Crosby’s overtime gold medal goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.