Justin Trudeau sends fiery message to US after Canada’s 4 Nations win
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a fiery message to the United States on Thursday night as his country won the 4 Nations Face-Off in an overtime thriller.
Team Canada’s Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal to give his team the 3-2 win over the U.S.
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Jun 17, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau greets fans at a Toronto Raptors rally at Nathan Phillips Square. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
The game was played amid political strife between Trudeau and President Donald Trump as the U.S. world leader has teased Canadian lawmakers about the country becoming its “51st state.” Trump has openly called Trudeau the “governor” of Canada as well. It continued on Thursday ahead of the game.
“You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game,” he posted on X.
Politics infiltrated hockey earlier this month as NHL and NBA fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” when Trump announced tariffs against Canada, which have since been paused.
AMERICANS BARELY BOO CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM, THEN BELT OUT ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ IN PATRIOTIC DISPLAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his son Xavier wait for the start of the first period of 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game between Canada and the United States in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
The booing continued into the 4 Nations Face-Off and it culminated in a round of fisticuffs during the U.S. and Canada’s first matchup. Three fights occurred in a mere nine seconds after Canadian fans booed the national anthem in Montreal.
The U.S. was able to pull out a win in that game.
Canadian fans drowned out the smattering of boos in the TD Garden as they sang “O, Canada.” American fans followed up with their own singing of the national anthem.
Team Canada forward Sam Bennett (9) celebrates scoring against Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the second period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)
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When the dust cleared, it was the Canadians who were holding the 4 Nations trophy.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
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Canada topped the US in overtime
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Trudeau after Canada hockey win over US: ‘You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a veiled swipe at President Trump on Thursday, after Canada defeated the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game.
“You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game,” the outgoing prime minister wrote on social platform X, indirectly referencing Trump’s proposal to make Canada the 51st state.
Canada’s 3-2 victory came after center Connor McDavid scored during overtime to clinch the win. Hockey lovers are looking forward to another match up at the 2026 Olympics, where the Great White North beat the United States in 2002 and 2010.
Nathan MacKinnon, who was designated Canada’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Thursday, weighed in on the turmoil between the North American neighbors.
”A lot of stuff going on with Canada and the USA right now, and us playing against each other was kind of a perfect storm for our sport,” MacKinnon said.
The U.S. team invited President Trump to attend the rivalry game hosted in Boston, but he had to decline due to pre-scheduled events. Still, the president spoke with the players via phone ahead of the game to wish them luck.
Tension could be felt by audience members during the opening performance of Canada’s national anthem, “O-Canada,” during which Americans booed. Canadians did the same during “The Star-Spangled Banner” rendition last week.
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But this time performer Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyric from “in all of us command” to “that only us command” and confirmed Trump’s 51st state comments were the reason behind the change according to The Associated Press.
Trump has consistently doubled down on his calls for Canada to merge with the U.S. since Trudeau announced his looming resignation last month. The president has seemingly used his threat of tariffs on the country as a wager, but Canadians have held their ground.
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Canada Just Beat the United States in Hockey. What the NHL Players Did Afterward Was Inspiring
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In business and in life: What’s your equivalent of the post-game handshake?
EXPERT OPINION BY BILL MURPHY JR., FOUNDER OF UNDERSTANDABLY AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, INC. @BILLMURPHYJR
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – FEBRUARY 20: Jaccob Slavin #74 of Team United States shakes hands with Team Canada players after the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship game between Team Canada and Team United States at TD Garden on February 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Team Canada defeated Team United States 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Ben Jackson/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
When the National Hockey League announced a year ago that instead of a traditional All-Star game in 2025, it would host a four-nation tournament with top NHL stars playing for their home countries, the league couldn’t have known how things would turn out.
They might have hoped that the United States and Canada would be the last two teams standing, playing against each other for the championship.
They might have hoped that the teams would inspire passions on the ice strong enough that the first U.S. versus Canada game saw three hockey fights break out in the first nine seconds.
And, they might have hoped that fans would cheer for their home nations—although I can’t imagine anyone would have imagined that President Trump would talk about wanting to absorb Canada as the 51st U.S. state in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with Canadians almost uniformly rejecting the idea and tensions reaching the point that fans would boo each others’ national anthems.
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The final game Thursday was an absolute thriller — or a heartbreaker, likely depending on which side of the border you’re on, in which Canada beat the United States three to two in overtime.
After the game however, there was a heartwarming and inspiring ritual that I had almost forgotten about, but that anyone who had thought carefully about this tournament ahead of time probably could have predicted: the post-game handshakes.
Unlike most other professional sports in North America, hockey has a tradition in which after big games and tournaments, the winning and losing teams line up so that every player shakes the hand of every opposing player.
Sure, some of the greetings are perfunctory.
It can take a certain kind of humility and even bravery for the losing team to stick around and on the ice and watch as the winning team celebrates, knowing that you’ll have to line up and congratulate each victorious player individually.
But there can also be some poignant exchanges.
I was struck by one that lasted a few seconds last night, as American forward Auston Matthews (who plays for a Canadian NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs), exchanged what looked like very gracious words with Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington (who plays for an American NHL team, the St. Louis Blues).
None of this is a knock against other sports. But it’s funny to me that for all the football, basketball, soccer, and baseball I’ve watched over the years, it never quite occurred to me that most other sports don’t have this tradition.
I guess it’s inconspicuous by its absence. I was glad to see it last night, especially after all the pre-game tensions.
And I hope that some of the likely millions of people who aren’t truly hockey fans but who tuned in for the game last night noticed it too.
Look, if you’re reading this article on Inc.com, chances are you’re a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur.
Maybe you’re also a hockey fan. But either way, you’re no stranger to fierce competition.
Maybe you can even think of the business equivalent of “three hockey fights breaking out in the first nine seconds,” in terms of cutthroat rivalries with other industry players.
Besides pure entertainment, however, one reason people watch and comment about sports like this is that they can offer metaphors for other parts of life.
No, none of us can predict the future. But maybe it’s worth thinking ahead of time: What’s your equivalent of the post-game handshake?
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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