After an intense, all-out battle, Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel sent a teasing message to USA’s Matthew Tkachuk following their viral fight in the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off.
The NHL knocked it out of the park with the in-season international tournament, giving players the chance to represent their countries at the highest level for the first time in almost a decade.
When Team USA and Canada faced off at Bell Centre in Montreal, fans got exactly what they had been waiting for. The clash between these North American powerhouses lived up to the hype, becoming an instant classic with its high-intensity, hard-hitting play from both sides.
The game started with a bang as Tkachuk and Hagel dropped the gloves just two seconds after puck drop. Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett followed suit at the next faceoff, and J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko joined the fisticuffs party at the next stoppage.
Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team USA fights with Brandon Hagel #38 of Team Canada during the first period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
As the first period came to a close with the game tied 1-1—but the fighting majors stealing the spotlight—Hagel made a vivid remark about his brawl with Matthew Tkachuk.
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“Just trying to get some energy in the building, [Tkachuk] asked and I’m not backing down from him,” Hagel stated during an intermission interview with Sportsnet. “I think me and him have a pretty good history, just going back and forth throughout the season…Long time coming.”
Tkachuk’s standpoint
Opening faceoff fights are very rare in the NHL, and therefore everytime one takes place it’s safe to believe it had been plotted before. The Tkachuk brothers admitted they had planned out to drop the gloves in order to get their teammates riled up, and their plan played out to perfection.
Following the huge win over Canada, which clinched USA’s spot in the Championship Game back in home-soil, Matthew Tkachuk voiced a stern warning to Team Canada about their mindset going into the game.
Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers lifts the Stanley Cup after Florida’s 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida.
“I think the message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time,'” Matthew Tkachuk commented, per NHL.com. “We’re in a hostile environment, and we wanted to show that we’re not backing down. They’ve had so much success over so many years over there. They’re some of the best players in the world. We felt in this environment it was a good time to do it. It was a lot of fun.“
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NHL News: Matthew Tkachuk drops intimidating statement to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid’s Canada after big USA win
Possible Round 2 in Boston
The Americans may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. Both sides could meet again in the championship game on February 20. Meanwhile, Canada will look to avenge its heartbreaking loss in Quebec as it heads to Massachusetts to face Finland, aiming for a regulation win to extend its stay in Boston.
“It was fast, tight-checking, competitive, emotional,” Connor McDavid admitted. “It had everything you would want in a hockey game. It [stinks] it didn’t go our way, but this thing’s far from over.”
