Saturday’s USA-Canada 4 Nations Face-Off match, which had been highly anticipated, started with three consecutive fights within the first nine seconds as the Bell Centre crowd erupted in reaction to the chaotic start. The on-field fights reflect the growing tensions between the two nations following President Trump’s recent threat to impose tariffs on Canada.
Trump also stirred controversy by suggesting that Canada could become the ’51st state’ of the U.S., sparking backlash from the neighboring country and longtime ally. With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau watching from the stands, the home crowd expressed its frustration with Trump by loudly booing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ and then the consecutive fights broke out.
Chaos on Field
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Despite repeated pleas from PA announcers inside the Bell Centre urging fans to “respect the national anthems,” the booing continued as the U.S. anthem played. The chaotic atmosphere in the stands appeared to spill onto the ice, as absolute mayhem erupted even before the game officially began.
Right from the opening faceoff, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel immediately squared off. Moments later, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett did the same, all before the puck had even hit the ice.
Once the game officially got underway, only nine seconds of play happened before yet another fight erupted near Canada’s net—this time between Colton Parayko and JT Miller after a heated scrum.
Miller received a penalty for cross-checking, but Canada was unable to capitalize on the resulting power play.
Even before the game began, a photo surfaced showing an American fan trolling Canadians by wearing a Team Canada jersey with “Trump 51” printed on the back.
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Once the action got underway, it was the Canadian fans who had the first reason to cheer, as Connor McDavid struck early to open the scoring.
However, the Americans quickly responded, with Jake Guentzel finding the net to tie the game 1-1 by the end of the first period.
Matthew Tkachuk, still fired up, was spotted swinging his stick at Canadian players as they exited the ice for the locker room. Dylan Larkin later netted the go-ahead goal, and Guentzel secured his second of the night, sealing a 3-1 win for Team USA as they won on Canadian soil.
Beginning of a New War
While it’s unclear if the rising political tensions between the two nations directly influenced the events, it’s difficult to ignore the connection between the loud booing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the chaos that followed.
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When asked about the anthem jeering ahead of the game, players from both teams largely avoided giving detailed responses, steering clear of political discussions.
Matthew Tkachuk, however, said, “I don’t like it. That’s all I got.”
Just a few weeks ago, the Panthers star visited the White House, where he presented President Trump with a No. 47 Panthers jersey to commemorate the team’s Stanley Cup win.
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Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—whom Trump has mockingly called “Governor Trudeau”—was in attendance at the Bell Centre on Saturday night for the first best-on-best showdown between the U.S. and Canada in nearly a decade.
