By: Cesar Lopez
As the 4 Nations Face-Off comes to an end, Canada claims the win with a score of 3-2 in overtime against the United States. Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson on the American side, both scored for the Americans, while Connor Hellebuyck, American goaltender, stopped 25 shots for the, three of those being in overtime. While Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 31 shots, with 20 of those in a row, Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett also scored for Canada, which tied the teams at 2-2 in the second period. The third period was played scoreless until the deciding goal was made by Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey center, at 8:18 minutes in overtime. This goal not only gave Canada the victory of 3-2 over the United States but also the title of champions in the tournament.
This match has become one of the most anticipated matches out of the whole tournament with the two rivals, the United States and Canada, being two of the best teams in the league. The teams have already had a rivalry in the past but this match elevated it to a level that has never been seen before. The first face-off between the two teams, which was won by the United States, already added intensity to the rivalry because of certain events that had happened. Not only did Canada boo out the United States’ National Anthem, but also several fights broke out during the beginning of the game. On top of that, Canada being called the “51st state of America” was used a lot against the team. Even though these events and provocations can raise questions of sportsmanship, they also attracted a lot of new spectators, even some who have never watched ice-hockey before.
Once the game finished and the buzzer went silent, Canada came out celebrating, which upset many Americans, while the Canadians were happy to show their pride in the sport. Overall, the 4 Nations Face-Off was a big success and attracted audience outside of solely ice-hockey fans, mainly because of the intense rivalry that was happening.
