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Team USA star, Bruins rival pays tribute to Boston fans ahead of 4 Nations final
The usual NHL dynamics will take a backseat to the international rivalry for a night.
The excitement surrounding the 4 Nations final in Boston: Tonight, the United States men’s hockey team faces Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at 8 p.m. The final holds special significance for Boston, as it will be hosted at TD Garden.
The atmosphere promises to be electric, with tickets scarce (the minimum amount currently offered by Ticketmaster starts at over $1,000). No stranger to big games, Boston fans (and traveling Canadian supporters) will provide a vocal backdrop to one of the highest profile international hockey games in years.
Given the stakes and circumstances, there are some unusual dynamics at play. Bruins legend Brad Marchand will be donning a Canadian sweater, and could draw boos from fans who normally cheer him. On the other side, Team USA center Auston Matthews will receive support in a building that he — as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs — is usually seen as the opponent.
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Matthews even acknowledged the Boston home-ice factor during the buildup to the game.
“It’s obviously one of the best in the league,” Matthews said of TD Garden fans, per WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin. “Saturday night, to play in Canada and Montreal, another great atmosphere. In enemy territory obviously, different feel to it. It will be kind of nice to have the crowd support in this building. This building gets rocking as well. So, it will be a lot of fun.”
The Canadians, having lost in the previous matchup to the U.S. during the round robin play stage while in Montreal, are looking to flip the script.
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“We’re the away team. It’s going to be the complete opposite of what we had in Montreal,” said Canadian star Nathan MacKinnon. “Sometimes playing on the road is fun, trying to spoil the excitement for the home crowd. So [there will be] a lot of Americans there I’m sure, and a good amount of Canadians, but it will be different.”
Another important player for the U.S. is yet another Bruins rival: Matthew Tkachuk. Having elicited his share of jeers from Boston hockey fans, he is looking forward to home ice at TD Garden.
“It’s going to be an incredible environment, just the lead-up and the buildup and everything that’s come with it has been incredible and something that we don’t take for granted,” Tkachuk told reporters, as noted by The Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy. “The millions of people supporting us and the generations before us and the generations that we could add and the kids that are watching at home that want to be us, we could open up a whole new wave of hockey players in this country. So this opportunity is one we don’t take lightly.”
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Trivia: The last major trophy won by U.S. men’s hockey came at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. In that competition, the U.S. played Canada in the final (just like in 2025), only it was decided over three games (with the U.S. dropping Game 1 before winning the next two). Who was the tournament’s leading scorer?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: A U.S. winger, he’s a Hall of Famer, just like his father.
Scores and schedules:
As already noted above, the U.S. men’s hockey team faces Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game tonight at TD Garden. The puck drops at 8 p.m.
The Celtics also play tonight, facing the 76ers in Philadelphia at 7 p.m.
And the Boston Fleet will be in Ottawa to match up against the Charge at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Report: Bruins ‘extremely unhappy’ over how Team USA handled Charlie McAvoy injury
- Bruins say Charlie McAvoy remains hospitalized with infection, ‘significant’ injury
- Matthew Tkachuk, Team USA trade chirps with Canada ahead of 4 Nations title game
- Massachusetts sled hockey Paralympians see their journey come full circle at Reeve Hockey Classic
- Josh Kraft calls on Wu to ‘immediately halt’ White Stadium demolition
- Could Trump be in Boston for 4 Nations hockey final against Canada? Insiders disagree.
- Bets pour in on 4 Nations Cup final between US and Canada
- Jeremy Swayman reflects on Charlie McAvoy’s injury, Team USA’s showdown with Canada
- Killington reveals no World Cup in 2025 due to chairlift installation, aims to hold event again in 2026
- BAA unveils new look for Boston Marathon medal
- NFL projects salary cap between $277.5M and $281.5M in 2025, rising by as much as $26M
Lucas Giolito’s early thoughts: The 30-year-old right-hander missed all of 2024 after signing in Boston, but appears optimistic about the upcoming season.
Sure, why not look back at T.J. Oshie’s heroics? On the eve of a major U.S. men’s hockey game, here’s an enjoyable stroll down memory lane to the 2014 Winter Olympics, when the U.S. survived in a shootout against the Russians.
On this day: In 1985, an understrength Celtics team lost a dramatic back-and-forth matchup with the Nuggets, 132-129. Fielding just eight players due to injuries, Larry Bird totaled 40 points, Kevin McHale added 32, and Danny Aingle compiled six steals (with 23 points of his own). Yet it wasn’t enough, as Alex English (38 points) and Denver’s offense proved to be too much.
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Elsewhere, the Bruins got a 3-2 win over the North Stars, while Boston College men’s basketball fell just short of pulling the upset on No. 1 ranked St. John’s.
Daily highlight: LeBron James, at 40 years old, is still making highlights like this.
LEBRON JAMES ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?!
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2025
RISES UP FOR THE HAMMER AND BRONNY CAN’T BELIEVE IT 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/KPlIxLauh7
Trivia answer: Brett Hull
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