With so much on the line, Canadian hockey fans erupted in jubilation after another night to remember on Thursday.
Canada B次元官网网址� after losing to the United States earlier in the tournament B次元官网网址� triumphed over the Americans in the hotly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston.
Against a politically charged backdrop, superstar centre Connor McDavid scored the winner in a spectacular 3-2 overtime finish against the countryB次元官网网址檚 fierce North American rival.
B次元官网网址淭his game was about way more than hockey,B次元官网网址� said Vincent Pilon in Montreal. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about the pride of being Canadian. ItB次元官网网址檚 our sport.B次元官网网址�
Hundreds of fans exploded out of their seats at Greta Bar YVR in Vancouver, hugging each other and shouting B次元官网网址淐anada! Canada! Canada!B次元官网网址� after McDavid beat U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck with a winning shot over his left shoulder.
At Peel Pub in downtown Montreal, rowdy celebrations in the jam-packed bar led to beer glasses smashing all over the floor.
Fans in Calgary hung around at Last Best Brewing & Distilling to sing B次元官网网址淥 CanadaB次元官网网址� one last time.
Wearing a Canadian hockey jersey and the flag hanging around his shoulders, Ryan Badr said he was thrilled to see Canada take the win.
B次元官网网址淵ou get the best player in the world who, as Calgarians, we hate to play against him B次元官网网址� but McDavid alone in the slot is all you need,B次元官网网址� Badr said of the Edmonton Oilers captain. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 reminiscent of Sidney Crosby 15 years ago.B次元官网网址�
It wasnB次元官网网址檛 enough that the one-off menB次元官网网址檚 hockey tournament marked the return of top NHL stars after nearly a decade away from high-level international play.
The Canada-U.S. matchups ramped up in historical significance when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened severe tariffs against Canada and mused about making the nation the 51st state.
Trump stoked the fire Thursday morning, using that rhetoric yet again in a social media post supporting the American team.
Jack, another Calgarian watching downtown, said the current political climate made the win particularly sweet.
B次元官网网址淭he USA, we love them, but theyB次元官网网址檙e not necessarily loving us back right now B次元官网网址� at least from their leadership B次元官网网址� and thatB次元官网网址檚 a little bit hurtful for us,B次元官网网址� he said, minutes after the bar erupted into a frenzy.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to say, as best we can, (that) weB次元官网网址檝e been your best friends and neighbours forever and weB次元官网网址檙e going to push back B次元官网网址� this is a demonstration that we can hit back in cultural and symbolic ways.B次元官网网址�
Boston fans booed B次元官网网址淥 CanadaB次元官网网址� before the puck dropped Thursday in an apparent response to the recent jeers that have echoed in Canadian NHL arenas, including SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 chaotic Canada-U.S. round-robin matchup at MontrealB次元官网网址檚 Bell Centre.
Canadian nationalism was on full display again in Montreal. Fans stood on guard and belted out the national anthem with pride before mercilessly booing B次元官网网址淭he Star-Spangled Banner.B次元官网网址�
In Calgary and Vancouver, meanwhile, fans held back their jeers for the U.S. anthem. But Adrian Kiss in Vancouver called the result a B次元官网网址渉uge winB次元官网网址� for Canada.
B次元官网网址淲e needed this one,B次元官网网址� Kiss said, adding he blacked out for a second during celebrations. B次元官网网址淚t was probably gonna be pretty ugly if we lost it. Social media is pretty ruthless right now.
B次元官网网址淭his brings all Canadians together.B次元官网网址�
American fans who braved the pro-Canadian bars in Montreal and Vancouver heard their fair share of boos throughout the night.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always been big, but now, especially because IB次元官网网址檓 here, and the geopolitical tensions right now, it feels like (the rivalry is) at the peak,B次元官网网址� said Naim Temlock, a former McGill University student from Chicago, in Montreal.
The first Canada-U.S. encounter on Saturday B次元官网网址� a 3-1 U.S. win where tensions boiled over onto the ice with three fights in the opening nine seconds B次元官网网址� drew 10.1 million viewers across North America.
Canadian fan Jean Levesque, who drove from Montreal to Boston to catch the final, said heB次元官网网址檚 never seen the Canada-U.S. rivalry reach this level.
B次元官网网址淭his is different,B次元官网网址� he said outside TD Garden. B次元官网网址淟ast week in Montreal, they were saying that if ever you shut the power from Hydro-Qu茅bec that powers all the electricity in the province, and plug a wire into the Bell Centre, youB次元官网网址檇 light up the whole province.B次元官网网址�
In Vancouver, people at a watch party couldnB次元官网网址檛 contain their excitement, jumping up and down and waving Canadian flags when Nathan MacKinnon scored to put Canada up 1-0.
The mood shifted from joy to disbelief when the U.S. took a 2-1 lead, as fans held their heads in their hands.
But Sam Bennett eventually equalized for Canada, leading to more hugs and high fives, before McDavidB次元官网网址檚 golden goal allowed a nation to exhale.
The United States has long played second-fiddle to Canada in menB次元官网网址檚 international hockey. Canada also triumphed on U.S. soil with a 5-2 gold-medal win over the Americans at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
CrosbyB次元官网网址檚 golden goal famously lifted Canada past the U.S. at the 2010 Olympic final in Vancouver.
B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 much of a rivalry up until 2010 B次元官网网址� Crosby got us,B次元官网网址� said U.S. fan Chris Leduc, who attended the game in Boston with his son Chase.
Leduc, wearing the U.S. jersey of 1980 Olympic and B次元官网网址淢iracle On IceB次元官网网址� hero Mike Eruzione, called ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 final B次元官网网址渢he most anticipated, the most watched and the most talked about hockey game in the last 15 years.B次元官网网址�
The 4 Nations B次元官网网址� the closest menB次元官网网址檚 hockey has seen to best-on-best since the 2016 World Cup B次元官网网址� is considered an appetizer for the NHLB次元官网网址檚 return to the Olympics in 2026.
NHL players participated in five Olympics between 1998 and 2014, before missing the 2018 and 2022 Games.
B次元官网网址� With files from Joshua Clipperton in Boston, Nono Shen in Vancouver and Matthew Scace in Calgary.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
