Three fights broke out in the first nine seconds of a 4 Nations Face-Off game between the U.S. and Canada Saturday.
At the opening puck drop, Matthew Tkachuk of the U.S. and Canada’s Brandon Hagel didn’t wait to drop the gloves.
Just two seconds later, Matthew’s brother, Brady, went toe-to-toe with Sam Bennett, who is NHL teammates with Matthew with the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
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That wasn’t all. After an opening rush into the Canadian zone, a scrap involving just about everyone broke out, and J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko got into a fight of their own.
The penalty boxes filled up, but cooler heads eventually prevailed.
The game was being played in Montreal, so the tensions in the crowd were already high. The “Star-Spangled Banner” was booed loudly despite pleas from the public-address announcer to “respect” both nations’ anthems.
Even NHL exec Bill Daly called it an “unfortunate situation” and hoped it would end.
This is the first time since 2016 that the U.S. and Canada are on the ice in a best-on-best format since 2016 in the World Cup of Hockey, which will return in 2028 after a 12-year hiatus.
Both teams won their first games of the tournament, but the United States is ahead in the standings due to its win coming in regulation. Canada needed overtime to defeat Sweden Thursday.
Canada got on the board first, with Connor McDavid lighting the lamp roughly 5½ minutes into the game. Jake Guentzel tied it up a few minutes later.
The U.S. ultimately beat Canada 3-1, wrapping up a spot in the tournament’s championship game. With the win, the Americans clinch a spot in the one-game final on Thursday in Boston, and they could face Canada again.
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