Matthew Tkachuk helps spark Team USA over Team Canada with a fight off the opening faceoff at the 4-Nations Face-off
Message delivered. Mission accomplished — almost. Former Calgary Flames star Matthew Tkachuk and his brother Brady planned an explosive start to the 4-Nations Face-off round-robin battle between Team USA and rival Team Canada on Saturday. The American Bash Brothers both dropped their gloves in the first few seconds of the contest to help the U.S. claim the direct route to the Championship Final on Thursday.
Premeditated on the team's group chat, the Tkachuks emulated their father's scrappy 1996 international experience at the World Cup of Hockey and their battle mentality paid off in a 3-1 win over the Canadians on Montreal ice. They'll now host the team that survives the gauntlet and joins them in the final in Boston.
“The message we wanted to send is, ‘It’s our time right now,’” Matthew Tkachuk told reporters in Montreal post-game.
“We’re in a hostile environment. We wanted to show that we’re not backing down. They’ve had so much success, and so many players over there are some of the best players in the world. But we felt in this environment, this stage in this tournament, was a good time to do it. It was a lot of fun.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgGH-QZ0Hy4[/embed]
Matthew, a defending Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers, fought state rival Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning right after puck drop. Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) scrapped with his brother's Panthers teammate Sam Bennett a couple of.seconds later. And J.T. Miller fought with defenseman Colton Parayko six seconds after that. The crowd at the Bell Centre soaked up every second.
Many wondered how meaningful a best-on-best tournament featuring just four teams would be for the NHL players who've been out of the Olympics since Sochi in 2014. A decade later, this was a statement game.
“That was one of the best experiences of my life,” U.S. forward Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings told reporters post-game. “The start, the guys — the Tkachuk brothers and ‘Millsy’ — what a start. And credit to those guys for answering the bell. You know, the crowd, just a great night for our sport and a great night for this rivalry. Can’t wait to get back to Boston and get on home soil.”
Canada, Finland and Sweden are all tied with two points apiece in the quest to join Team USA in the final. Canada plays Finland and the U.S. plays Sweden on Monday.
Canada needs to beat the Finns and hope Sweden loses to the U.S. to get their rematch.
