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Donald Trump invites “governor Trudeau” to watch tonight’s game with him

It’s done.

Tonight is when the big match of the Four Nations Confrontation final will take place between Canada and the United States. You can really feel that the excitement is palpable in the country.

More so than in the United States, anyway.

I’m saying this because Renaud Lavoie and Anthony Marcotte, who are currently in the United States for the occasion, said that on the sports channel, it wasn’t exactly the topic of the hour with our southern neighbors.

Are you surprised?

Meanwhile, we wonder how many Canadians will be in the crowd in Boston. Probably more than there were Americans for Saturday’s game at the Centre Bell.

But that shouldn’t stop the Canadian national anthem from being booed.

That being said, among those who won’t be there tonight, there’s Donald Trump. He confirmed on social media that he won’t be able to attend… but he’ll still listen to the game. He’ll also give the guys a motivational call.

And he invited Justin Trudeau, who he referred to as the governor of Canada, to join him if he wanted to.

(Credit: Truth)

Needless to say, I don’t think I need to tell you that Trump took the opportunity to bring up the idea of “Canada as the 51st American state” in his message on Truth.

Anything to get some love, huh…

I’m excited for the game to start, because at that point, hockey will take over. And we’ll see the best players in the world do what they do best: play hockey.

Canada will have a lot of pressure to win this game.

I have a feeling that Sidney Crosby, the man of great moments, will want to leave his mark on the game. I think the Canadian captain will play a sincere game.

Definitely one to watch.

in a hurry

– Speaking of the game.

– P.K. Subban is ready.

– Baseball is coming to Sacramento.

– Indeed.

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Pascal Vincent threw flowers at David Reinbacher following his first game of the season

And then, what did David Reinbacher look like last night, on the sidelines of his first game of the season under the Rocket’s colors after taking the time to heal his knee?

It depends on who you ask.

There is currently a text from the QMI Agency that is causing a lot of talk on the subject. Many fans are not happy to see that his game was described as bad by the author, who recalls that Reinbacher was on the ice for the first four goals of the opponent.

Why did this cause a reaction? Because Pascal Vincent did not exactly have the same reading of the situation.

The Rocket’s coach, who had never directed Reinbacher before in a regular season game, said that in the first half of the game, the Canadiens’ first choice in 2023 was his best defenseman. Not bad for a guy who’s coming back from a knee injury, right?

It’s interesting to note that Reinbacher finished the game last night with a minus-2 differential. One of the Moose’s goals was scored on a power play.

Reinbacher wasn’t perfect last night, but no one expected him to be either. He’ll need time to get back on track after his operation and last night was a step in the right direction.

In all this, it’s worth mentioning that the Laval Rocket lost 5-4 – in front of their fans – to the Manitoba Moose, which gives them a second consecutive loss.

Result? The Rochester Americans are now ahead of the Rocket in the North division.

Last night, Logan Mailloux did what he had to do to give his team a chance to win, but in vain. With two goals and an assist, he performed well, even if he didn’t allow his team to get the win.

He did better than Joshua Roy, at least.

in a hurry

– Good listening.

– The topic continues to generate discussion.

– Mike Lange has passed away.

– What do you think?

– Yes, good players are currently at home.

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Mike Matheson picked up Arber Xhekaj at training

While all eyes are on Canada and the United States ahead of the ultimate match of the 4 Nations Confrontation, the Canadians have resumed training in preparation for the return of NHL hockey.

Montreal will play its first game since the break on Saturday, against the Senators, in Ottawa.

After a long vacation, we often come back to work a bit rusty and may lack intensity and motivation. The opposite happened on Wednesday morning, during the CH’s training session.

As reported by Anthony Martineau during his appearance on TVA Sports’ show JiC on Wednesday, the Canadiens players played tough in the corners and didn’t hesitate to hit their teammates.

Martineau even noted a sequence in which Mike Matheson checked Arber Xhekaj, who ended up on the ground abruptly.

You can see the sequence in question in this TVA Sports article: https://www.tvasports.ca/2025/02/19/pas-content-du-tout-matheson-envoie-xhekaj-sur-son-derriere.

In the sequence, Matheson was bumped by Xhekaj, who quickly retaliated by sending his teammate to the ground.

In some teams, a sequence like this could have led to a big dispute, but Xhekaj seemed to accept the situation by getting up and returning to his position at center, waiting for the next exercise.

And this is not the only example of robust play during this training session.

During a one-on-one exercise, Jake Evans didn’t hesitate to bodycheck his captain, Nick Suzuki, along the boards.

Montreal has lost eight of its last nine games and would like to reverse the trend as soon as it returns to action.

In rapid fire

– Not the return hoped for for Reinbacher.

– Marco D’Amico is convinced that Demidov will join the Canadiens as soon as his contract with SKA ends.

– Not the best news for Montreal.

– It’s hard to convince the Canadiens to call him back with a performance like this.

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Four nations: no ticket under $900 US for the final

Hockey fans have long been waiting for the return of international matches involving the best NHL players. For the first time in nearly ten years, we have the chance to see this with the 4 Nations Faceoff.

The problem here is that resellers know very well that people would be willing to do anything to attend this event, which is causing ticket prices to skyrocket.

As Chris Johnston of TSN pointed out on Monday evening, the ticket prices for the tournament final are completely exorbitant.

If you don’t already have tickets to Thursday’s #4Nations championship game at TD Garden, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny to get inside and watch USA/Canada.

I took the trouble to go check if there were any cheaper tickets, and I was surprised by what I saw.

There are no tickets available for under $900 US for the final.

The cheapest ticket I could find is in the second-to-last row at the very top of TD Garden. It would cost you $961 US on Ticketmaster.

This is completely crazy. At this price, you could almost buy the new iPhone.

Prices are even higher on other platforms like Stubhub and Seatgeek. In fact, if you intended to buy tickets in the lower section of TD Garden, you should expect to pay around $2000 US per ticket.

About a week ago, people were outraged because the ticket prices in the pit at the Bell Centre for the Canada-US qualifying round match were around $500.

$515 in the pit!
The ticket prices for the 4 Nations Faceoff are “unacceptable” according to @RealRayLalonde

It’s funny to see that the ticket prices have simply doubled for the final.

However, we were a bit afraid of having some empty seats due to the high ticket prices last Saturday, but that didn’t happen.

No matter the ticket price, I have the impression that we can expect an electric atmosphere during the final on Thursday evening.

In brief:
– Everyone is ready, even the buildings.

THE BUILDINGS ARE FIRED UP TOO!
(via @TourCNTower, @EmpireStateBldg)

– The cold doesn’t stop Messi from playing in Kansas City.

Freezing cold night in Kansas City (-6 real feel). @SportingKC hosts @InterMiamiCF now (FS2) in Round One of the Concacaf #ChampionsCup.

– Binnington will have to be better than in the last few games.

If Canada wants to leave Boston with the trophy on Thursday, it will have to win the confrontation in front of the net.
https://t.co/WQ3ApGB0T0

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The Bruins are unhappy with how the United States handled McAvoy’s injury

Tomorrow, it will be one of the biggest matches in hockey history.

Canada. United States. For the title of the four-nation confrontation. Canada-United States matches are always gigantic, but this one, for obvious reasons, seems a bit bigger than usual.

There are injuries on both sides, but with the Americans, it’s a bit more apparent. Brady Tkachuk is not at 100%, Quinn Hughes missed the entire tournament, Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews missed the match against Sweden… And there’s also Charlie McAvoy, who is more seriously injured. He won’t play tomorrow and according to Elliotte Friedman, his NHL team, the Bruins, are very unhappy with how the country handled his injury.

According to Boston, their defenseman did not receive proper care.

Ouch.

It’s a bit of a strange situation, as obviously, the defenseman was injured in an international competition and that leaves his NHL team in doubt for the rest of the season.

Of course, it’s a Canadiens player who initially injured him.

What should be noted about this absence is that the American team’s doctors are from the Wild.

And always according to Friedman, who felt a certain frustration in the Bruins’ official statement, the club is asking that from now on, the medical staff of countries in international competitions be neutral. It’s a logical request.

It remains a difficult situation to manage, and it’s for stories like this that international competitions with big league players have disappeared for so long. Let’s hope this story doesn’t leave a stain on this great four-nation tournament.

In a hurry

– A 10th goal for Logan Mailloux.

– No, but imagine two Canadian losses in less than a week…

– What a question.

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Christian Dvorak and the Canadiens: no agreement in sight

When the Canadian acquired Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes (in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2022 and a second-round pick in 2024), the club had just lost Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

This was a fairly impulsive acquisition by Marc Bergevin, and today, the club is still feeling the effects. Dvorak, who still has not spoken with his agent, is not the worst player in history, but Bergevin clearly overpaid.

Fortunately, the experience is coming to an end. At least, it should be coming to an end. The club and the player have had no discussions about a contract extension. This is what we learn from a text by Richard Labbé on LaPresse.

Soon, CH fans will be watching their third-line center again after watching Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby for four games…

But anyway, regarding the non-existent discussions between the two parties, are we really surprised? After all, it was not Kent Hughes who made this acquisition…

Even if his chances of returning to the metropolis are slim, the main person involved says he would like to return. However, he is not thinking about his contract situation for the moment.

It’s certain that I would like to stay. I like the guys on this team, I like playing here, and I wouldn’t be against the idea of returning to play in Montreal after this season. It’s an honor to wear this team’s jersey. We’ll see what happens. – Christian Dvorak

His goal is to help his team win every night, and after the season, he will think about his future in the Bettman circuit.

The guy is only 29 years old and could be a great acquisition for a third or fourth line on a Stanley Cup contender team. Even if the center is not the most loved by the fans, within the club, he is a very appreciated guy. Moreover, with the probable loss of Jake Evans, Cole Caufield could lose two good friends in July, perhaps even earlier, in March.

How would he take it? Because if Evans has little chance of staying, Dvo is already gone, in my book.

In a hurry

– He is the only goalkeeper to have started all the games for his country.

– Me too.

– David Reinbacher is back, don’t forget.

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David Savard: a target for the Leafs, according to a journalist from The Athletic

Right now, the hockey world is focused on the Four Nations Confrontation.

Tomorrow, the two best countries in the sport will face off in the final at TD Garden, in Boston. The first duel was won by the Americans, but their efforts in the first game will be quickly forgotten if they were to lose the return match.

At the start of this tournament, several journalists were expecting movement in the NHL, but no trade was concluded during this time. Are the GMs as dazzled as we are? Maybe. But after the final, it will be the last sprint before the trade deadline.

And like every year for a few seasons, Montreal will be a team to watch. David Savard, Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak, and Joel Armia are all names that will attract attention. Meanwhile, on the podcast Processus, Simon Boisvert mentioned that he would be very surprised if the four stayed in the metropolis.

Savard is one of those who attracts the most attention and according to Jonas Siegel, a journalist from The Athletic covering the activities of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Quebecer would be a very good target. This is not the first time the right-hander has been linked to a Canadian club.

Of course, I don’t think the Leafs would give up a first-round pick or a top prospect like Fraser Minten (even if the value of the defenseman is not to be underestimated), but Siegel says that the last Stanley Cup champions did not hesitate to give up on the trade deadline and this strategy could pay off for the Leafs.

After all, the new head coach there seems to have created a favorable change of air.

In 50 games this season, the big defenseman has 11 points. We know he’s not there for his offensive qualities anyway. He also has a minus-7 record.

In addition to acquiring a top-4 defenseman, Toronto could also be looking for a center. Ryan O’Reilly, who would cost more than Savard – we agree -, is a name mentioned by Siegel. The price could go up to a first-round pick and Minten, according to the journalist.

That’s not nothing.

In rafale

– Let’s hope.

– Good thing.

– Absolutely.

– A true hockey enthusiast, that one.

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Seth Jones and the Blackhawks are discussing a trade: the defenseman wants to win

Seth Jones has a contract that’s too big for what he brings.

At $9.5 million per year, Jones signed when several defensemen were in what I call the “golden age of contracts worth nine million dollars or more” in the NHL.

And those contracts haven’t all aged well.

(Credit: Cap Wages)

Jones is therefore stuck in Chicago on a team that’s not about to turn the corner on its rebuild. And at 30 years old, it’s logical to think that his best years may not be ahead of him.

But the good news? The salary cap is going up.

What that means is that contracts are becoming less burdensome on the team’s payroll. And those contracts that were once deemed “impossible to trade” are becoming less so.

Result? Seth Jones and the Blackhawks are starting to talk about a trade. That’s what Ben Pope, from the Chicago Sun Times, reports.

Note that this doesn’t mean he’ll be gone tomorrow morning. In fact, if I had to bet, I’d say a trade is almost impossible before March 7, during the season.

Jones wants to win and if he’s presented with an interesting opportunity, he’s open to saying yes.

However, he’s aware that his big contract ($9.5 million per year until 2030) complicates things. And between you and me, I sincerely wonder if the Hawks will want to retain salary until 2030.

A team can only do that with three contracts at a time. Doing it until 2030 would handcuff a team.

In the meantime, Jones may say he’ll do his best to perform well, but it’s clear that until a certain point, his mind will be elsewhere. Will it show on the ice?

We’ll see.

extension

– Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh…

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Martin Lemay doesn’t give up: Caufield doesn’t play like “a $7.8M guy”

Cole Caufield is an important player for the Canadiens.

He is one of the few in Montreal who has the ability to score goals relatively easily and that’s why the Canadiens’ management has trusted him by offering him an eight-year contract with a good salary.

The organization sees him in their long-term plans.

But even if Caufield is on track to have the best season of his career… It’s still not enough in the eyes of Martin Lemay.

For the latter, Caufield is “often” a hindrance to Nick Suzuki. And in Martin Lemay’s eyes, Caufield doesn’t play like “a $7.8 million man per season”.

If he continues to score 30 goals or less, you know what? The Canadiens will want to trade him and it will cost something to trade him. – Martin Lemay

Well… Let’s just say he didn’t mince his words, Martin Lemay:

During the 22-23 season, Caufield scored 26 goals in 46 games.

That’s a pace of 46 goals over a full season.

It’s true that the young forward had a season below expectations in 23-24. And he still finished the campaign with 28 goals and 65 points…

Now, Caufield is scoring at a pace of 38 goals per season. He’s scoring goals at five-on-five and he’s on track to have his best season, with 49 points in 56 games.

For me, that’s what bothers me about Martin Lemay’s comments. If Caufield was going through tough times and wasn’t producing up to his talent… Fair enough.

But right now, the timing is off because there’s nothing to criticize in Caufield’s game.

He’s improved defensively, he’s dangerous offensively… And he’s really helping the Canadiens at even strength, which is something we didn’t always see from him before.

Rapid Fire

– It’s going to stir things up!

– Beautiful.

– I’m looking forward to seeing that.

– Big game for the French star.

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Hughes (injured) doesn’t have the green light to play: the United States is looking to call up other players

I’m not sure if we can call this a saga.

But Quinn Hughes’ story has been making headlines since yesterday morning.

It seems like the situation is coming to an end, however.

The news comes from Pierre LeBrun: Hughes, who trained with the Canucks today, has decided not to travel to Boston for the US-Canada match, which will be held tomorrow night at the TD Garden.

And it’s not because the defenseman didn’t want to be there.

It’s because the doctors haven’t given him the green light to return to the game.

In his tweet, LeBrun states that the US is looking to recall some players as a precaution due to a virus going around the locker room.

Will Cole Caufield be packing his bags to head to Boston in the next few hours? The question is being asked…

Note that Quinn Hughes isn’t feeling great right now… And that’s normal.

He really wanted to have the chance to join the US team.

Let’s not forget that he was really looking forward to playing with his brother, Jack, before the competition started, and ultimately, seeing the game between Canada and the US last Saturday… It gave him an even greater desire to represent his country.

It’s a shame. But in a way, his health comes first, and he’ll have another opportunity to defend his country’s colors.

We’ll have to wait and see what decisions the US team makes ahead of the game.

If we believe Pierre LeBrun’s words, we should see some players being recalled by their country… But at the same time, they’ll have to act fast because the game is in less than 24 hours.

Time is running out!

Overtime

The Americans will have to find another way to get inspired.

Let’s recall that Bill Guerin asked for Donald Trump to be at the game, precisely to inspire the American players.

But according to Frank Seravalli’s information, the US president will not be attending: