President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would be reaching out to the U.S. men’s hockey team ahead of their 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada, which serves as a rematch following their intense game over the weekend. Bill Guerin, the general manager of the U.S. 4 Nations team, extended an invitation to Trump to attend the final in Boston during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom.”
On Truth Social, Trump shared his plans to call the team and took another jab at Canada. “I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State,” he wrote. Trump also mentioned that he would not be able to attend the game due to a prior engagement. “I will be speaking before the Governors tonight in D.C., and will sadly, therefore, be unable to attend. But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome. Good luck to everybody, and have a GREAT game tonight. So exciting!”
The rivalry between the USA and Canada took center stage in the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Saturday’s game began with Canadian fans in Montreal booing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” leading to a flurry of fights as three American and three Canadian players dropped their gloves within the first nine seconds. Ultimately, the U.S. emerged victorious, defeating Canada 3-1. It remains uncertain if more altercations will occur when the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET.
Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel, who have a history of rivalry in NHL games, exchanged subtle barbs in the aftermath. Tkachuk mentioned that he, his brother, and teammate J.T. Miller had discussed igniting the fight in a group chat. Hagel responded by stating he fought “for the flag” and “not the cameras,” adding a dig that his Canadian teammates “don’t have any group chats.” Tkachuk quipped, “Maybe their team doesn’t like each other, then, if they don’t have group chats.
