The intense duel between Team USA and Team Canada showed strong emotions as all players showed their desire to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. On the night at TD Garden, Brady Tkachuk made his feelings clear after scoring a goal off an assist from his brother Matthew Tkachuk.
In the days leading up to the match against Canada, doubts hung over head coach Mike Sullivan’s squad ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Matthew had missed the entire game against Sweden through injury, while Brady was sent off after suffering a hit in the first period. Alarm bells were also sounded after he missed a training session on Wednesday.
After a few hours, it became known that Brady Tkachuk had been absent due to illness, and his presence in the duel against Team Canada was immediately confirmed. In the first period, the Ottawa Senators player made it 1-1 with an assist from his brother Matthew and then made a strong statement about his presence in the game.
Brady Tkachuk’s big admission after goal against Team Canada
“I’ve never experienced anything like this. I wouldn’t miss this game for the world,” he said in an interview with ESPN. “There was no way I was going to miss this one,” he insisted. Despite his illness, the Team USA star proved that his commitment to the game paid off when he scored.
Matthew assisted Brady for the 1-1 draw
Brady Tkachuk evened the score for the U.S. with a goal at 16:52 of the first period, leaving the score 1-1 at the end of the first period. After days of speculation about the presence of the Tkachuk brothers, the combination of him and Matthew, who assisted, paid off.
Team Canada had scored the 1-0
In the opening minutes of the first period, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had scored the first goal of the game to give Team Canada a 1-0 lead at Boston’s TD Garden. Minutes later, Brady scored the equalizer to the delight of all Team USA fans.