United States vs Canada hockey 4 Nations Face-Off final time today. Date: Thursday, Feb. 20. Time: 8 p.m. ET. Location: TD Garden, Boston Canada and the US will battle it out on the rink Thursday evening in a championship game that promises to be about more than just ice hockey.
On any ordinary day, the final match-up of the 4 Nations Face Off is a significant one for the two neighbouring countries who have long been friendly rivals on the ice. But adding to it this time is the looming threat of an economically-damaging trade war, as well as Donald Trump's persistent musings to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
Trump himself was invited to attend the game in Boston by Team USA's general manager Bill Guerin. The US president has said he is unable to make it, but has made a point to call the team to wish them good luck.
He also repeated his desire to absorb Canada, writing in a Truth Social post ahead of the game that he hopes the country "will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished and very important, Fifty First State."
Canada's public safety minister David McGuinty later told reporters that he took Trump's quip as a sign that the president is "worried about the outcome" of the game.
For fans across North America, the final is a "dream match up," ice hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman told the BBC. Not since the 2014 Winter Olympics have the top men's ice hockey players from Canada and the US faced off in this consequential of a game.
Both countries boast some of the biggest stars in the National Hockey League (NHL), like Canadians Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, and Americans Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel. The game is a chance for this new generation of players to prove themselves.
But in Canada, the game is also a personal one, giving both die-hard and casual fans an opportunity to bask in national pride at a time when the country's sovereignty looks to be threatened by its closest neighbour.
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On any ordinary day, the final match-up of the 4 Nations Face Off is a significant one for the two neighbouring countries who have long been friendly rivals on the ice. But adding to it this time is the looming threat of an economically-damaging trade war, as well as Donald Trump's persistent musings to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
Trump himself was invited to attend the game in Boston by Team USA's general manager Bill Guerin. The US president has said he is unable to make it, but has made a point to call the team to wish them good luck.
He also repeated his desire to absorb Canada, writing in a Truth Social post ahead of the game that he hopes the country "will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished and very important, Fifty First State."
Canada's public safety minister David McGuinty later told reporters that he took Trump's quip as a sign that the president is "worried about the outcome" of the game.
For fans across North America, the final is a "dream match up," ice hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman told the BBC. Not since the 2014 Winter Olympics have the top men's ice hockey players from Canada and the US faced off in this consequential of a game.
Both countries boast some of the biggest stars in the National Hockey League (NHL), like Canadians Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, and Americans Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel. The game is a chance for this new generation of players to prove themselves.
But in Canada, the game is also a personal one, giving both die-hard and casual fans an opportunity to bask in national pride at a time when the country's sovereignty looks to be threatened by its closest neighbour.