Connor McDavid broke America’s heart.
The Canadian hockey superstar, a three-time NHL MVP who also won the NFL playoff MVP last season even though he played for the losing Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals, took a centering pass and beat American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with a laser shot to give Canada a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the U.S. in the final of the inaugural—and highly successful—4 Nations Face-Off. The tournament—which pitted teams from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden against each other as a replacement for the NHL’s usually low-wattage All-Star festivities—drew record viewership, in large part due to a burgeoning U.S.-Canada geopolitical rivalry that spilled out onto the ice.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
The last time the U.S. and Canada met in a best-in-class world final that required an overtime session was the gold medal game of the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored an overtime goal in Vancouver that sent the home nation into hysterics. McDavid, just like Crosby 15 years ago, shows that Canadian hockey icons know how to deliver in the biggest moments on the biggest of stages.
It was an edge-of-your-seat match for viewers. The teams traded goals in the first period; Nathan McKinnon of Canada struck first, before American Brady Tkachuck evened things up with a little more than three minutes left in the period, after an Austin Matthews wraparound instigated the action. The U.S. started to sense victory potential in the second, when Jake Sanderson gave the Americans a 2-1 advantage. But a Sam Bennett goal equalized the affair, before a scoreless third period sent the game into sudden-death.
The politically-tinged tension of this championship game was unmistakable. Canada has taken exception to U.S. President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that the country could soon be America’s 51st state: during previous games in the tournament that took place in Montreal, fans booed the “Star Spangled Banner.” The atmosphere felt much different Thursday night, in Boston: red “Make America Great Again” hats dotted the crowd. “USA! USA!” chants were particularly fervent.
Last Saturday’s meeting between the neighbors, in round-robin play, saw three fights between the teams in nine seconds. Team USA won that round, and the rivalry matchup drew 10.1 million North American viewers, the highest number recorded outside the Stanley Cup Final since 2014, according to the NHL.
Trump has adopted the U.S. team as his own. He posted on Truth Social Thursday that, although he wouldn’t be able to attend the game because of a prior commitment, he wanted to “to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.” He’s taken to calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “governor”—and relished another chance to get under his skin. Trump wrote that “he’d be watching and that if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome.”
Later, the President shared a video showing that he indeed called the U.S. team before the game. “I just want to wish you a lot of luck. You really are a skilled group of people. It’s an honor to talk to you,” he said over a phone held by U.S. coach Mike Sullivan. “There’s no pressure whatsoever.” The players in the locker room laughed. “I can tell you honestly, every person in here—players, staff, management, coaches—we are all proud Americans and we want to represent the country the best way we can,” Sullivan responded.
“Just go out and have a good time,” Trump said. “You’re going to win, and we love America, we love you guys. We’ll be watching tonight, bring it home.”
The U.S. failed to do so this time around, giving Canada some well-deserved gratification. “You can’t take our country,” Trudeau gloated on X. “And you can’t take our game.”
But Trump may take some satisfaction: While U.S. national teams competing on the world stage tended to distance themselves from him in his first term—the U.S. women’s soccer team in 2019 relished trolling him—this hockey team seemed to embrace the attention Trump lavished upon them. A victory could have given Trump and his supporters a sort of first MAGA world title.
There will be other chances. These teams can meet again in the upcoming Winter Olympics, next year in Milan. Sports fans around the world will be watching.
The President very much among them.
