Awaiting Trump: The US and Canada will determine the winner of the inaugural Four Nations Tournament.
The match will take place on the night of February 21, at 3:00 Kyiv time at the "TD Garden" arena in Boston.
The tournament, featuring finalists along with Sweden and Finland, is being held for the first time and serves as a substitute for the NHL All-Star Game.
Initially, teams comprising the best representatives from NHL clubs played a round-robin group stage – each team faced every other team. The top two teams then advanced to the decisive match.
The USA and Canada met in the second round, with the Americans achieving a convincing victory (1:3), thereby securing their place in the final.
The intensity of the match was off the charts. It started with Canadian fans in Montreal booing the "Star-Spangled Banner." Three fights broke out in the first nine seconds.
Just three seconds into the game, players engaged in a brawl – forwards Matthew Tkachuk (USA) and Brandon Hagel (Canada) began to settle their differences. Shortly after, Braden Tkachuk (Matthew's younger brother) and Sam Bennett decided to fight as well. Simultaneously, a fight also broke out between J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko.
The USA team general manager Bill Guerin commented on the program "America's Newsroom" about whether the fight was triggered by the booing, previous tensions between the players, or political disagreements between the USA and Canada.
The expert does not rule out the possibility of former President Donald Trump being in the stands at "TD Garden."
Guerin also noted the intensity of the game between the two teams, calling it "the highest level of hockey ever played."
The Canadians determined their fate in the last game against Finland, winning 5:3.
Group Stage
- Sweden – Canada 3:4 (OT)
- Finland – USA 1:6
- Sweden – Finland 3:4 (OT)
- Canada – USA 1:3
- Finland – Canada (3:5)
- USA – Sweden 1:2
*Interesting fact: all matches in the tournament were won by the nominal guests. Today, they will be the Canadians...
Team Rosters
Team Canada
Goalkeepers: Jordan Binnington (St. Louis), Adin Hill (Vegas), Sam Montembeault (Montreal).
Defensemen: Cale Makar (Colorado), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia), Shea Theodore (Vegas), Devon Toews (Colorado), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles).
Forwards: Sam Bennett (Florida), Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay), Seth Jarvis (Carolina), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Brad Marchand (Boston), Mitch Marner (Toronto), Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Brayden Point (Tampa Bay), Sam Reinhart (Florida), Mark Stone (Vegas).
Head Coach: Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay).
Team USA
Goalkeepers: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Jake Oettinger (Dallas), Jeremy Swayman (Boston).
Defensemen: Brock Faber (Minnesota), Adam Fox (Rangers), Noah Hanifin (Vegas), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver), Charlie McAvoy (Boston), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina), Zach Werenski (Columbus).
Forwards: Matt Boldy (Minnesota), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg), Jack Eichel (Vegas), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay), Jack Hughes (New Jersey), Chris Kreider (Rangers), Dylan Larkin (Detroit), Auston Matthews (Toronto), J.T. Miller (Rangers), Brock Nelson (Islanders), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida), Vincent Trocheck (Rangers).
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh).
Who is the favorite
The bookmakers give a slight edge to the Canadians: the odds for a "Maple Leafs" victory stand at 2.47, for an American win at 2.51, and for a draw at 4.2.
Where to watch
The live broadcast online in Ukraine will be available on the Setanta Sports Ukraine channel or through the service's app.