The fight between Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel in the opening seconds of the Team USA-Canada game on Saturday certainly didn’t settle any lingering tensions.
Instead, Tkachuk and Hagel have only fueled the 4 Nations Face-Off rivalry ahead of the championship game in Boston on Thursday — and group chats are at the crux of the recent jabs.
Hagel told reporters Wednesday that “we don’t have any group chats going on,” not-so-subtly calling out Team USA after Tkachuk, his brother Brady Tkachuk and J.T. Miller revealed they created a group message to plan their three fights across the first nine seconds — against Hagel, Sam Bennett and Colton Parayko, respectively — of USA’s eventual 2-1 win.
“I think we’re out there playing for the flag, not the cameras,” Hagel said Tuesday, according to Sports Illustrated. “That’s a part of Canada that we have in there. We don’t need to initiate anything. We don’t have any group chats going on.
“We’re going out there playing our game and then giving it everything and doing it for our country. We don’t need to initiate everything. We’re just going to play as hard as we can and do it for the flag on the chest.”
Then, when asked about Hagel’s group chat line on Wednesday, Matthew Tkachuk clapped back with, “Well, I mean, maybe their team doesn’t like each other then if they don’t have group chats. …”
“I think that our team does not care about anything that they say. There’s been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals, but we care about one thing in this room. We have millions of people that are watching us and supporting us around this country, and we’re very prideful in playing for them and the guys in the room. So, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for us.”
In a 4 Nations tournament that has captivated attention as the NHL’s All-Star Game replacement, generating strong ratings and plenty of buzz, the Team USA-Canada game emerged as an instant classic when all of the fights stacked together in the opening minute.
And while that start might not be replicated Thursday in Boston, the rivalry has only been amplified as NHL players return to the international stage — and will get its latest chapter after Canada defeated Finland on Monday to secure its second USA showdown of the event.
on Feb. 19. Screengrab via X/@yaboiTCfresh
Tkachuk left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and missed Monday’s loss against Sweden, but practiced Wednesday.
Brady Tkachuk, who rammed into the net Monday and later exited with a lower-body injury, didn’t practice, though, which could force Team USA — already scrambling with defenseman Charlie McAvoy hospitalized — to adjust.
