Things got chippy between Canada & USA at the World Juniors
Last night was the much-anticipated New Year's Eve clash between Team Canada and Team USA at the 2025 World Juniors.
It was expected to be a game full of bad blood; however, no one really expected it to be this intense.
During the first period, there was a massive scrum involving Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Luca Pinelli. The scrum happened because of an after-the-whistle hit from Team USA on Pinelli, which caused things to get heated.
After Pinelli got back to his feet, his teammates had already stepped in. However, that didn't stop him from getting involved. He managed to throw a few lefts at Zeev Buium before heading to the box.
As TSN's Mike Johnson pointed out, it didn't stop there. Both Buium and Pinelli continued to chirp at each other from the box for minutes after the play ended.
Team USA went on to win the game 4-1 and finished in the top spot in Group A. With that loss, Canada moved to third and will fight to live another day.
From a Blue Jackets fan's perspective, this is exciting to watch. The team could have their very own "rat"-type player just a few years away from joining the club. If Pinelli brings this level of grit and intensity to the NHL, he will add even more excitement to their lineup.
What's Next - The Jackets play game two of a three-game home stand against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
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Happy New Year everyone!