Saturday was Rivalry Day in the Four Nations showdown. Finland was facing Sweden, and Canada was taking on the United States. While Patrik Laine had said on the day before the game, “we hate them, that’s all,” the mood was mostly non-violent. However, the nighttime showdown was anything but.
When the puck hit the ice, Matthew Tkachuk jumped on Brandon Hagel, and a furious fight ensued. The two players were sent to the box, and a second later, Brady Tkachuk faced Sam Bennett in another spirited battle that had the crowd going wild as the pugilist headed to the sin bin.
Matthew Tkachuk. Brady Tkachuk. JT Miller.
3 fights in 9 seconds to start this US/Canada sport. Unbelievable.
Hockey is the best sport on the planet
– Josh Reynolds (@Joshreynolds24) February 16, 2025
Within nine seconds, JT Miller checked on Colton Parayko before inviting him to play, filling the penalty box in the process. After nine seconds, very little hockey had been played, but the tone was set for the game.
That’s when former Montreal Canadiens executive Chris “Knuckles” Nilan took to X and wrote that he didn’t know if he could continue watching the game:
Jeez I don’t know if I can watch USVS Canada the fighting and violence makes me want to watch basketball
– Chris Nilan (@Knucklesnilan30) February 16, 2025
Si a veces puede ser difícil “comprobar el tono”, como dijo Mónica una vez en amigos, por escrito, no había forma de tomar ese tweet en serio. Nilan ha hecho una carrera de lucha en la NHL, recogiendo 3043 minutos de penalización en 688 juegos de la NHL, él no disfrutaría del principio de ese deporte lo habría sido posible ya que los canadienses y las nordiques de Quebec no se odian.
Mientras que muchas personas abogan por combatir para ser sacados del hockey, la multitud de Bell Center parecía disfrutar del principio del deporte; El edificio era tan válido que parecía que el techo podría desbordar. El preparador del equipo de Canadá, John Cooper, quien no es un gran admirador de pelear, dijo en su entrevista posterior al deporte: “No vi a nadie corriendo por las horizontes”.