Despite President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Canada currently being on hold, tensions between the two nations are set to erupt tonight — this time, on the ice.
Canada and the United States will face-off in the 4 Nations Face-Off finals, a highly anticipated rematch following their heated game last Saturday.
That matchup saw three fights break out within the first nine seconds, as players battled not only for victory but for national pride amid the trade war.
The game began right after the national anthems concluded. While a military anthem singer was singing the U.S. national anthem, many Canadian fans at the game hosted in Montreal were booing.
While the first game was hosted in Montreal, tonight’s final will take place in Boston.
Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended the game in Montreal.
Meanwhile, Team U.S.A’s General Manager, Bill Guerin, told Fox News that he hoped Trump could attend the game tonight.
Guerin said that the Canada-U.S. rivalry is nothing new. However, he said this version has a political flare to it, and Trump’s attendance at the game would inspire his players.
Trump stoked the flames in a Thursday post to Truth Social.
He said Canada would become the 51st state and enjoy “far lower taxes and much stronger security.”
“I will be speaking before the governors tonight in D.C., and will sadly, therefore, be unable to attend. But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome,” said Trump.
Canada played Finland on Monday in Boston. During the Canadian anthem, a few boos were heard, but they were notably less pronounced than the boos to the United States’ anthem in Canada.
The United States won the previous game on Saturday against Canada 3-1.
Former NHL player and member of Team Canada Paul Bissonnette warned that Canada losing Thursday’s game could lead to a “national emergency.”
The 2025 Four Nations Face-Off is the first best-on-best tournament to feature NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. However, Russia and Belarus were excluded from the tournament due to the war. The NHL will return to the Olympics in 2026, which it has not seen since 2014 in Russia when Canada won Gold.