Proud of this national achievement, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to send a heartfelt reply to Donald Trump, who continues to insist on making Canada the 51st State.
“You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game,” he declares.
This match represented much more than just a hockey game: it was loaded with political stakes. By winning this crucial encounter, the players gave Canadians a chance to proudly reaffirm their attachment to their country.
For one evening, hockey and politics intertwined, uniting an entire nation in a wave of pride and emotion that transcends the simple game.
Canada snatched victory from the United States in overtime thanks to a decisive goal from Connor McDavid, sealing a memorable triumph in the Four Nations final.
Ah yes: we’re back to the beat of the Canadiens after talking about the Canadians.
The Montreal Canadiens practiced this morning. And with just over 24 hours until the game in Ottawa, several elements related to the CH’s practice are worth noting.
For example?
1. Josh Anderson was back on the ice. After missing the last few practices, we could wonder if he would be able to skate with the others this morning.
2. Anderson was on a line with Brendan Gallagher and Christian Dvorak. If that sounds familiar, it’s because this morning, Martin St-Louis brought back his lines from when they were working, in Montreal.
This includes Patrik Laine in the top-6… but it especially includes Emil Heineman.
Combinations at CH practice before heading to Ottawa. Back to the lines that worked before Emil Heineman’s injury…
3. It’s possible to believe, on the sidelines of practice, that Heineman will be able to return to the game tomorrow. The CH didn’t recall anyone and he had his regular line with Jake Evans and Joel Armia.
No Laval attackers were present and Michael Pezzetta is the 13th attacker. That’s a clue in itself.
4. Defensively speaking, there are only six healthy defensemen in town. Logan Mailloux is down, Kaiden Guhle is injured… so we can guess who will play tomorrow against the Senators.
Here’s how the guys were lined up during practice. Can the fact that Lane Hutson got some rest and is with David Savard help him regain his magic?
What’s funny is that Tony Marinaro pretended to be a fan of the American team. So, he said that “the Canadiens beat us all the time” to the Boston hosts.
They had doubts.
Marinaro took the time to explain, with his usual tone, why he said that. He explained, speaking from the “we” point of view as an American, that his team didn’t have a Crosby, a Makar, or a McDavid.
It was so comical and the Boston station even cut out the excerpt for their social media.
Usually, when Marinaro pulls off stunts like this, it’s because the Montreal Canadiens are doing poorly. But this time, he chose to do it when the team he was covering was doing great.
What a game. And who else but Connor McDavid to come and seal the deal of the match… and the tournament. A tournament that was said to be “irrelevant” just two weeks ago…
Yes, Canada is still a sovereign country and yes, it remains the “hockey country”. Put that in your pipe, Donald.
There are so many things to say about what happened over the last few hours and days that I will try to go about it in a structured way. Sorry in advance if I seem disorganized; I haven’t had enough sleep…
1. Mitch Marner getting a primary assist on the equalizing goal, then another primary assist on the winning goal in overtime… while Auston Matthews forgot to cover his man (McDavid) in the slot because he was attracted to the puck, it’s just unbelievable. #MapleLeafs
Crosby with the gold and Matthews with the silver: things just don’t change.
2. Can someone ask P.K. Subban if he’s okay?
I can believe he’s employed by an American station, but his X account is just a collection of posts that are pro-American and pro-Trump for the past few hours. Has he forgotten he’s Canadian?
3. Can someone ask Wayne Gretzky if he’s okay?
Why not wear a red jacket before the game, Wayne?
Why give thumbs up to the other team, Wayne?
You know you’ll never be the Governor of the 51st American state, even if you’ve become buddies with the President, Wayne?
4. Sidney Crosby has won as many international titles as almost all the players he faced combined. I’m not exaggerating much.
Yesterday, he passed the torch to Nathan MacKinnon (MVP) and Connor McDavid (player of the game), but he remains the mentor and the soul of this Canadian team. I’m already looking forward to the Winter Olympics next year…
From Ontario to Nova Scotia: Canadian pride was alive and well last night.
(Credit: Getty Images)
5. What can be said about Jordan Binnington? Without him, Canada would have won silver, not gold. He played his best game in months at the best possible time. #Winner
6. Brady and Matthew Tkachuk didn’t win gold last night, even if Brady had a strong game. And they’re both injured.
I don’t think we’ll see Brady face the Canadiens tomorrow in Ottawa…
7. The fans who chanted “Johnny Hockey” during the game last night, it was something.
8. Brad Marchand was the player used the least by Jon Cooper. It’s obvious he won’t be with the Canadian team in a year. But he’s had a good run this year…
We can probably say the same about Mark Stone…
9. With everything that’s been happening on the political level since Donald Trump’s inauguration, it’s got to be said that it was enjoyable to see Canada beat the Americans in Boston to win the gold. It was more than just a hockey game last night. #Politics
Forget about the 51st state and the annexation of Canada: last night, people from coast to coast said “no” to the United States. Except maybe those who have been campaigning for a Team Quebec for the past few hours…
What a success this Four Nations tournament was!
10. The Americans didn’t need to boo the Canadian national anthem: we scrapped it ourselves. Chantal Kreviazuk, from Winnipeg, changed the rhythm and notes of a few passages of the famous O Canada!, trying to make it her own. Except you don’t change that, a national anthem. You interpret it in a sober and traditional way.
And you don’t change a few lyrics to convey a political message either.
Luckily, the crowd at the TD Garden started singing the Canadian anthem on their own, then applauded loudly. #Class
11. Don’t tell me Nick Suzuki wouldn’t have done a better job than Anthony Cirelli on the fourth line.
But oh well, the Canadian team’s coach is also Cirelli’s coach in the regular season… and he won yesterday.
And Martin St-Louis is not part of Hockey Canada’s staff.
12. The players were really happy to win… but let’s be real: they didn’t care that much about the trophy that doesn’t mean anything. There were some awkward moments seeing them lift the trophy for just a few seconds each, without much emotion.
13. Unfortunately, there were no Quebecers in uniform yesterday to represent Canada. We’ll need to make some changes to our minor hockey, and fast.
14. Let’s hope that spending time with champions for a few days will inspire Samuel Montembeault. The Canadiens will need him.
15.Damn it, Sam Bennett is useful on a hockey team. Exactly the kind of player the Canadiens need to reach another level in our rebuild…
16. Adam Fox didn’t have a great tournament; no points in four games and a minus-2 last night.
17. Now it’s time to focus on the Canadiens’ return tomorrow night in Ottawa. After “cheering” for Crosby, MacKinnon, and McDavid, we’ll have to “cheer” for Christian Dvorak, David Savard, and Jayden Struble…
At least the trade deadline is in two weeks. There will be action all around the NHL…
Extension
CF Montreal will start their season tomorrow night in Atlanta. I think I’ll watch that instead of the Canadiens…
We had the chance to talk to the president, the coach, and the captain this morning.
Let’s just say the president and the coach gave us some good information about Giacomo Vrioni, Caden Clark, Hennadii Synchuk, Jalen Neal, and more.
We had the chance to talk to Gabriel Gervais, president of #CFMTL this morning.
– Hennadii Synchuk has indeed arrived in Montreal. All the administrative paperwork should be done by the end of the weekend and he should be able to train with the team on Monday. So, he will be…
Here, Wayne Gretzky was introduced as the honorary captain of Canada. And let’s say it didn’t go as planned.
The #99 came out next to the American bench, he gave them a thumbs up, he didn’t look towards the Canadian bench, he wasn’t wearing a Canadian jersey and he didn’t show his support for Canada in front of the cameras
Although he did read out Canada’s lineup in the dressing room before the game, we really wondered who Gretzky was rooting for yesterday.
Your honorary captains for tonight: Wayne Gretzky and Mike Eruzione! #4Nations
Of course, we have to think he’s happy about Canada’s win. But since he has good ties with Donald Trump, his gestures yesterday didn’t go over well on social media.
Right now, Canadian fans are upset with Gretzky. Giving a thumbs up to the Americans without doing the same for the Canadians, that’s what’s not going over well.
The great Oilers player is being called a traitor by Canadians and a guy who didn’t want to see Canada, his country of origin, win. Positive comments are rare and his reputation has taken a hit.
A simple search on Twitter will confirm this.
Gretzky:
Enters through US bench
Gives thumbs up to US players
Wears no red or NOTHING repping Canada
Doesn’t even look Team Canada’s way
He’s a traitor & MAGA coward
Good riddance. #4nations pic.twitter.com/1YqguI3yqF
It’s important, in these circumstances, to remember that Trump, who is a friend of Gretzky, has already said he wants the legendary hockey player to become the Prime Minister of Canada.
And when I say Prime Minister, I mean governor. #51stState
When Mario Lemieux was introduced to the crowd at the Bell Centre last Saturday, it was well received. I know the game was in Canada, but what I’m saying is that there was no controversy.
Before you throw stones at me: yes, my title is a joke.
Because no, we didn’t always believe in Jordan Binnington during this tournament. I was the first to have easy criticism for this Blues goalie who had gained the trust of his bosses.
And let’s say that when he gave up his first goals to the Americans, I thought there was a good chance Canada would slip away.
But fortunately for the managers, who won’t have to face the shame this morning of seeing 40 million Canadians publicly playing “let’s see who would have been a better choice for Team Canada”, Binnington stood up.
Unlike Connor Hellebuyck, who has a reputation for not standing up in important moments…
Jordan Binnington, who won the Stanley Cup in 2019 against Boston (oh, really), was extraordinary in overtime. I didn’t think he had that in him to that extent, but he stood up.
This morning, we’re not talking about the Canadian national anthem or shame in the country: we’re celebrating the victory against the Americans. And Jon Cooper must be relieved, at least.
Cooper is the only coach in the tournament who has never changed goalies. And that’s even though, after each game, many fans wanted him to make a change and have Adin Hill take the net.
But Cooper believed in his guy, saying he was his man for the tournament.
And yesterday, seeing them celebrate together after the game, it made for strong images. After all, Cooper gave him confidence and the results paid off. The coach knew what he was doing, at least.
How much you wanna bet Cooper’s message to Binnington was something like: Way to say F the haters with a big game like that pic.twitter.com/AzIMtfQy04
If he had lost the game, it would have given arguments to those who want to see Logan Thompson next year at the Olympics. But for now, the favorite to keep Canada’s goals in 2026 is Binnington.
Brad Marchand is not having an easy time this year.
In Boston, the Bruins captain is at the center of several rumors. We don’t know if he’ll return with the club this summer and maybe he’ll even be traded in the coming days.
But in the meantime, he’s a champion with Canada. And that’s even if he wasn’t the best player on the ice.
Marchand was brought in with Canada to bring a different flavor to the team. And yesterday, after Canada’s win (in front of several thousand Canadian fans who had made the trip), he showed what he’s capable of.
Why am I saying this? Because he got his message across to the Tkachuk brothers.
Marchand (who has obviously never said anything he’s regretted in his life…) came back on the famous comments from Brady and Matthew regarding the American team’s group discussion and the events of last Saturday.
The Canadian player’s message?
Sometimes, when you open your mouth to the media, it hurts you. – Brad Marchand
«Sometimes when you shoot your mouth off in the media it bites ya.»
When you look at it, the Tkachuks were intense and that had both good and bad effects. The fact that they surprised Canada like that before the final had negative consequences.
For example? Yesterday, Matthew Tkachuk was too hurt from the rest of his (intense) tournament to have an impact. The Americans therefore played without an important part of their recipe.
Brady Tkachuk didn’t win anything in Ottawa and clearly, yesterday, he wanted to win for his country. But without his brother at 100% by his side, he didn’t have the same impact as on Saturday.
And yesterday, Canada was ready. Not bad, more than on Saturday…
The political context made a tournament that is not the Olympics important. The players gave it importance and the political war with the Americans strengthened the sense of belonging of Canadians to their country.
And even some Quebecers. Gotta do it!
If American players were playing for their president, many people in Canada hoped that the Canadians would win so that Donald Trump wouldn’t win and wouldn’t have a reason to brag.
But oh well. If Donald Trump wants to win at hockey, he just has to face Team Quebec offer to become the prime minister of the 11th Canadian province. It’s surely his easiest path to victory in hockey.
Singing O Canada loud and proud after winning the #4Nations Face-Off. ;
But what were the elements that made it so that it was Canada, and not the United States, that won? And what do I take away from last night’s historic evening?
1. In 2010, there was Sidney Crosby. And now, he has clearly passed the torch.
Connor McDavid, the most talented player in the world, scored the goal in overtime. And Nathan MacKinnon, his Maritime counterpart, was elected player of the tournament. The best were the best.
2. Brady Tkachuk and Jaccob Slavin would have deserved a better fate. The first was really in the Canadians’ face and the second must have prevented 7225 scoring chances during the game.
If Matthew Tkachuk had been healthy and had been able to play regularly, he would have had an impact, too. But he was injured.
Matthew Tkachuk limping very badly out of the rink
3. The 2010 and 2014 Olympics and the 2026 World Cup were supposed to be special events for Sidney Crosby. But I wonder where the 2025 victory ranks in his eyes.
He’s older… he has a bad team in Pittsburgh… this one must feel good for him.
4. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are two teammates who faced each other yesterday. It was important since when they play in Toronto, they are unable to win anything.
Yesterday, one of the two lost. And the one who won didn’t steal his gold medal.
5. Question for Canadiens fans: do you prefer this victory in times of economic war or the Canadiens’ win on June 24, 2021, when Montreal fans had to deal with COVID-19 restrictions?
I have the feeling that a recency bias will make many people say yesterday’s game. Will the answer be the same in a few years? Hard to say right now.
6. Jordan Binnington held up. In overtime, it was fortunate he was there, because without him, let’s say Canada’s chances of winning would have been slimmer.
He’s a goalie who has been criticized (by me, among others), but who stood up – like in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. He was better than his American counterpart and both lived up to their respective reputations in important moments.
7. At the end, the medal ceremony was endless. The guys were coming from the other side of the world and one by one… but since Canada had won, it wasn’t so bad.
Note that Samuel Montembeault also received his medal, even though he didn’t play. The experience gained over the past ten days is important for the Quebecer.
8. What changes would you like to see for the Olympics, in a year? Who will win the Stanley Cup in a few months among the guys who won gold last night? These are questions I have.
Sam Reinhart, anyway, won the 2024 Cup and gold last night. He deserves to celebrate.
Are you looking forward to seeing Christian Dvorak again? I don’t want to beat up on the guy for nothing, but he illustrates how different the level of play will be when the Canadiens’ regular activities resume.
Action resumes tomorrow, in Ottawa. Will Samuel Montembeault be in action? Will Jake Evans’ contract become relevant again?
In the last minutes, Canada saw Connor McDavid score the winning goal to enable them to win the 4 Nations Confrontation. The team therefore defeated the United States in the final.
Here is the winning goal, if you missed it:
THERE IT IS! THE GAME WINNER! THE TOURNAMENT WINNER!
Of course, this is an important victory for the country to confirm its place at the top of the hierarchy in terms of international hockey… but in the current political context, this victory takes on a different meaning.
This is obviously, in the current context, a message that hits hard. We know that American President Donald Trump got involved in this game… and in the end, it’s Justin Trudeau who has the last word.
And that makes this victory take on a different meaning.
Tonight, Canada had the opportunity to confirm that it was still, after nearly 10 years without real international competition, the world reference in hockey. The United States, on the other hand, had the opportunity to change the game… but in the end, Connor McDavid had other plans.
And that makes it so that tonight, it’s the Canadian Prime Minister (and not the American President) who can afford to taunt the other.
Overtime
Let’s note, for those interested, that Nathan MacKinnon was elected Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Samuel Montembeault, on the other hand, received his gold medal, just like the rest of his teammates.
This time, no fights took place in the first seconds of the game. That being said, there is one player who set the tone… but by scoring rather than fighting.
Nathan MacKinnon quickly opened the scoring in the first period.
– We really had a hockey game tonight. Both teams could hardly have played a tighter game, and it shows how evenly matched the two teams were. This game was really not played for much.
– Charlie McAvoy, injured, could not participate in the game for the United States. However, he announced the starting lineup in the locker room… and it was a great moment.
Charlie McAvoy was visibly emotional reading the starting lineup for Team USA in the #4Nations final.
He was forced to miss the Championship Game due to an upper-body injury.
– Matthew Tkachuk did not take to the ice from the second half of the second period. He was not 100% before the game and was visibly too uncomfortable to finish the game. The Panthers must be holding their breath right now.
– Jaccob Slavin is really, really good. Alone, he saved at least two goals tonight. He is possibly the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, and tonight, he proved it.
– Just like at the 2010 Olympics, the best player in the world scored the winning goal in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory. In 2010, it was Crosby… and in 2025, it’s McDavid.
(@puckempire)
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