HIGHLIGHTS

  • Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel drop gloves immediately off opening faceoff
  • Three separate brawls erupt before 10-second mark at Bell Centre
  • Keep reading to see how the USA-Canada rivalry exploded in Montreal

Nine seconds. Three fights. Welcome to USA vs Canada hockey.

The highly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off matchup between the bitter rivals erupted immediately Saturday night at Montreal’s Bell Centre, with three separate brawls breaking out before most fans could even settle into their seats.

Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves right off the opening faceoff, setting the tone for what would be a wild opening sequence. The bad blood had been simmering since warmups, when Tkachuk took a swipe at Hagel during the pregame skate.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Brady Tkachuk immediately squared off with Sam Bennett on the ensuing faceoff. The younger Tkachuk, who had already netted two goals in Team USA’s opening win against Finland, showed he can throw hands just as well as he can find the back of the net.

The chaos wasn’t over. Just nine seconds into actual gameplay, J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko engaged in round three after a scrum around Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington. Miller picked up an extra cross-checking minor, giving Canada the game’s first power play.

The explosive start came after a tense pregame ceremony where Canadian fans loudly booed during the U.S. national anthem. The hostile reception likely didn’t sit well with Matthew Tkachuk, who had recently visited the White House with his Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

“I don’t like it. That’s all I got,” Tkachuk said about the anthem booing before puck drop.

Adding to the drama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance at the Bell Centre for what marked the first best-on-best matchup between these North American rivals in nine years. The political undertones were impossible to ignore, especially given recent tensions between the two countries.

Check out a video with all three fights here:

Canada was unable to capitalize on the ensuing power play, but it didn’t take long for Connor McDavid to break through for the game’s opening goal shortly thereafter.

Both teams entered the matchup with momentum. The Americans dismantled Finland 6-1 in their opener behind a four-goal performance from the Tkachuk brothers, while Canada needed overtime to edge Sweden 4-3 on a Mitchell Marner winner.

The fighting may be done for now, but if these opening seconds were any indication, this tournament is just heating up.