After an intense, all-out battle, Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel sent a teasing message to USA’s <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/matthew-tkachuk">Matthew Tkachuk</a> following their viral fight in the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off.



The <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nhl">NHL</a> 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.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20250216_BUS_337667_Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-1024x576_090a969c.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="" class="wp-image-337783" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16160052/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-Team-USA-fights-with-Brandon-Hagel-38-of-Team-Canada-during-the-first-period.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>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.</figcaption></figure>



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.”



<h2>Tkachuk’s standpoint</h2>



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.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20250216_BUS_337667_Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains-1024x576_2732edc3.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="" class="wp-image-245237" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains-300x169.jpg 300w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains-768x432.jpg 768w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Matthew-Tkachuk-19-of-the-Florida-Panthers-lifts-the-Stanley-Cup-after-Floridas-2-1-victory-agains.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>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. </figcaption></figure>



“I think the message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time,&apos;” 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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<h2>Possible Round 2 in Boston</h2>



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.”

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Team Canada’s Brandon Hagel takes dig at Matthew Tkachuk after fight during loss vs USA

miniaturas

The United States defeated Canada 3-1 at Bell Centre in a game that had everything fans hoped for—and more. After an action-packed, ever-dramatic clash between the nations divided by the 49th parallel, American star <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/matthew-tkachuk">Matthew Tkachuk</a> delivered a harsh statement to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and the rest of Canada’s star-studded roster.



Ask, and you shall receive. Fans waited over a decade to see the best <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nhl">NHL</a> players compete at the highest level and represent their countries—and it was well worth the wait. Canada and the USA put on a show Saturday night in Montreal, setting the stage for what could be an even bigger showdown in the Four Nations Face-Off championship game.



Only nine seconds into the game, the penalty boxes were packed with three players aside. Bell Centre’s roof was blown off by the explosive start to the matchup, which was all a masterplan by the Tkachuk brothers and J.T. Miller, as they looked to give their teammates an immediate spark.



It all worked out for Team USA. They defeated Canada on the road in a hostile environment where much more than just a hockey game seemed to be on the line. The Americans walked away with all three points and a guaranteed spot in the February 20 championship game at TD Garden in Boston.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20250216_BUS_337517_Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-1024x576_a5605829.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="Sidney Crosby #87 of Team Canada warms up prior to a game against Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada." class="wp-image-337551" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16130312/Sidney-Crosby-87-of-Team-Canada-warms-up-prior-to-a-game-against-Team-USA-in-the-4-Nations-Face-Off.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>Sidney Crosby #87 of Team Canada warms up prior to a game against Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. </figcaption></figure>



Despite leaving the game with an injury, Tkachuk couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after the massive victory—and even went as far as to poke the bear with a bold comment to <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/sidney-crosby">Crosby</a>, McDavid, and everyone on Team Canada.


 

 

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“I think the message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time,&apos;” Matthew Tkachuk stated postgame, via 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.“



<h2>Hard-nosed, American hockey</h2>



It felt like every battle for the puck, every contested possession along the end boards and in the corners, players were willing to give a little extra to help their team. Team USA didn’t shy away from laying the body all over the ice. Matthew’s brother, Brady Tkachuk, delivered one of the biggest hits in the game against Drew Doughty, in a situation where most players would skate away and focus on the next play, the Ottawa Senators was willing to put his body on the line to send a message.



However, by far the biggest hit in the temper-flared matchup was the one Charlie McAvoy landed on <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/connor-mcdavid">McDavid</a>. One would believe superstars would be safe from being targeted, but as McDavid tried to skate past McAvoy (like he had done during his opening goal), he paid the price.



“That also is a message-sending moment; probably one of the plays of the game,” Matthew Tkachuk admitted about McAvoy’s hit on McDavid. “They just scored a goal, the building was rocking and Charlie comes there and pops McDavid, like one of the hardest hits I’ve seen.”



<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Charlie McAvoy lays out Connor McDavid! 🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canada?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canada</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USA</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zf8qBwfQlO">pic.twitter.com/Zf8qBwfQlO</a>— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyFaceoff/status/1890941935730245903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote></div> 



The hit alone managed to shift momentum in the Americans’ favor. Canada was leading 1-0, but shortly after the earth-shaking body check on the home team’s best player, Team USA found the equalizer with a big goal from Jake Guentzel.


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<h2>Credit where it’s due</h2>



Tkachuk is one of the biggest household names in the NHL—not just for his incredible skill set and gritty playstyle, but also for his second-to-none ability to get under opponents’ skin. While many dislike players like him, Tkachuk proves it’s truly an art—and he has mastered it. 



Whether it’s chirping opponents, delivering pesky hits, or poking at Crosby and MacKinnon as they headed to the locker room after the first period, he never fails to frustrate the opposition—a trait that works wonders for his team.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20250216_BUS_337517_Matthew-Tkachuk-1024x576_0834e738.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team USA skates against Team Canada during the second period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada." class="wp-image-337356" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/16004327/Matthew-Tkachuk.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team USA skates against Team Canada during the second period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
</figcaption></figure>



However, he is not exempt from acknowledging greatness. After the intense battle against Canada, Tkachuk tipped his cap to the players wearing the Maple Leaf logo on their red sweaters.



“You’ve got to give credit to those guys, as well. They did the exact same thing that we did,” Tkachuk commented, per NHL.com. “I thought it was great energy from both sides, and the building was shaking after the third one. I’m excited to watch them.”

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