While the NHL’s recent 4 Nations Face-Off tournament may have just been a series of glorified all-star games, Canada’s win against the United States was about way more than just hockey.
Announced during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game last February, the 4 Nations Face-Off was an international ice hockey tournament that ran from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20. The competition, which featured teams of NHL players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S., replaced the National Hockey League’s annual All-Star Game.
Played in Montreal’s Bell Centre and Boston’s TD Garden, the tournament was structured around a series of six round-robin games with the top-placing teams playing a one-game final for the trophy.
While Canada lost to the U.S. in their round-robin face-off on Feb. 15 — a tense game that saw three fights break out in the first nine seconds after the puck drop — both teams won two of their three games, allowing them to advance to the final.
Set during a period of heightened political tension between Canada and the U.S. following President Trump’s active trade war with the country coupled with threats of annexation, the focus of the tournament quickly shifted away from friendly competition.
Although both players and coaches did their best to avoid any questions about the ongoing tension, it proved to be unavoidable. In an interview with CBC News, Canadian sportswriter Gare Joyce speculated that “if you could get inside the minds and hearts of those Canadian players, they were probably wrapped up in [the political tension].”
The conflict escalated further once the games began.
Before Canada’s round-robin game against the United States, jeering fans in Montreal booed the American anthem, a trend that carried over from previous NHL and NBA games in the wake of President Trump’s threats. This act was responded to in turn when the Americans booed the Canadian anthem in Boston.
Similarly, before the final, Trump posted on his Truth Social account saying he would be calling the American team to “spur them on towards victory against Canada,” who “with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become [the United States’] cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.” He continued his tirade by stating that while he would not physically be in attendance for the face-off, he would be watching the game. He invited Prime Minister Trudeau, who he referred to as “Governor Trudeau,” to join him.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House’s new Press Secretary, hammered this notion home when she stated in a press briefing before the game that President Trump would be watching to see the United States win and that he looked forward to seeing them beat “our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada.”
Played in Boston on Feb. 20, the Play-Off final was nothing short of anxiety-inducing as competition was tight from the moment the game began.
While Canada scored the first goal in the fourth minute, the United States came back and tied it up just before the end of the period. The Americans briefly acquired the lead in the second, but it wasn’t long before Canada evened the playing field. Finally, after a tense third period without a goal from either team, Canada scored an overtime winner, making them the champions of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
While the tournament was not affiliated with the International Ice Hockey Federation, meaning that Canada’s win won’t impact the country’s international ranking, the competition stirred up a great deal of controversy.
When Canada won in overtime, Prime Minister Trudeau responded to Trump’s previous comments by saying “You can’t take our country—and you can’t take our game,” on X.
Still, with tensions growing online, this wouldn’t be the end of the tensions between the nations brought on by the game.
Canadians and Americans began to have it out with one another in the comment sections of posts on various social media platforms. Before the final, many Americans flouted that winning against Canada would be easy, but following the United States’ sore loss, they changed their tune.
One X user stated: “Okay COOOL Canada Congrats on beating us once in overtime and getting a trophy for it… it’s 1-1 as far as I am concerned. See y’all in the Olympics you frauds.” Another commenter under a TikTok posted by Team Canada acknowledged that the Canadians had won the game, but asked: “Can they win a war tho? No.”
Much like their president, it seems as though many Americans have a hard time conceding a loss.
While the competition means very little on the global stage, a sentiment many Americans have been running with to soothe their hurt pride, it was so much more than a series of all-star games to Canadians. This win sent a shockwave of national pride throughout the entire country, bringing its citizens together to unite against a common goal: showing the world that we will never be the 51st state of America.