With so much on the line, Canadian hockey fans erupted in jubilation after another night to remember on Thursday.
Canada 91裸聊视频� after losing to the United States earlier in the tournament 91裸聊视频� triumphed over the Americans in the hotly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston.
Against a politically charged backdrop, superstar centre Connor McDavid scored the winner in a spectacular 3-2 overtime finish against the country91裸聊视频檚 fierce North American rival.
91裸聊视频淭his game was about way more than hockey,91裸聊视频� said Vincent Pilon in Montreal. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 about the pride of being Canadian. It91裸聊视频檚 our sport.91裸聊视频�
Hundreds of fans exploded out of their seats at Greta Bar YVR in Vancouver, hugging each other and shouting 91裸聊视频淐anada! Canada! Canada!91裸聊视频� after McDavid beat U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck with a winning shot over his left shoulder.
At Peel Pub in downtown Montreal, rowdy celebrations in the jam-packed bar led to beer glasses smashing all over the floor.
Fans in Calgary hung around at Last Best Brewing & Distilling to sing 91裸聊视频淥 Canada91裸聊视频� one last time.
Wearing a Canadian hockey jersey and the flag hanging around his shoulders, Ryan Badr said he was thrilled to see Canada take the win.
91裸聊视频淵ou get the best player in the world who, as Calgarians, we hate to play against him 91裸聊视频� but McDavid alone in the slot is all you need,91裸聊视频� Badr said of the Edmonton Oilers captain. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 reminiscent of Sidney Crosby 15 years ago.91裸聊视频�
It wasn91裸聊视频檛 enough that the one-off men91裸聊视频檚 hockey tournament marked the return of top NHL stars after nearly a decade away from high-level international play.
The Canada-U.S. matchups ramped up in historical significance when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened severe tariffs against Canada and mused about making the nation the 51st state.
Trump stoked the fire Thursday morning, using that rhetoric yet again in a social media post supporting the American team.
Jack, another Calgarian watching downtown, said the current political climate made the win particularly sweet.
91裸聊视频淭he USA, we love them, but they91裸聊视频檙e not necessarily loving us back right now 91裸聊视频� at least from their leadership 91裸聊视频� and that91裸聊视频檚 a little bit hurtful for us,91裸聊视频� he said, minutes after the bar erupted into a frenzy.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e trying to say, as best we can, (that) we91裸聊视频檝e been your best friends and neighbours forever and we91裸聊视频檙e going to push back 91裸聊视频� this is a demonstration that we can hit back in cultural and symbolic ways.91裸聊视频�
Boston fans booed 91裸聊视频淥 Canada91裸聊视频� before the puck dropped Thursday in an apparent response to the recent jeers that have echoed in Canadian NHL arenas, including Saturday91裸聊视频檚 chaotic Canada-U.S. round-robin matchup at Montreal91裸聊视频檚 Bell Centre.
Canadian nationalism was on full display again in Montreal. Fans stood on guard and belted out the national anthem with pride before mercilessly booing 91裸聊视频淭he Star-Spangled Banner.91裸聊视频�
In Calgary and Vancouver, meanwhile, fans held back their jeers for the U.S. anthem. But Adrian Kiss in Vancouver called the result a 91裸聊视频渉uge win91裸聊视频� for Canada.
91裸聊视频淲e needed this one,91裸聊视频� Kiss said, adding he blacked out for a second during celebrations. 91裸聊视频淚t was probably gonna be pretty ugly if we lost it. Social media is pretty ruthless right now.
91裸聊视频淭his brings all Canadians together.91裸聊视频�
American fans who braved the pro-Canadian bars in Montreal and Vancouver heard their fair share of boos throughout the night.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 always been big, but now, especially because I91裸聊视频檓 here, and the geopolitical tensions right now, it feels like (the rivalry is) at the peak,91裸聊视频� said Naim Temlock, a former McGill University student from Chicago, in Montreal.
The first Canada-U.S. encounter on Saturday 91裸聊视频� a 3-1 U.S. win where tensions boiled over onto the ice with three fights in the opening nine seconds 91裸聊视频� drew 10.1 million viewers across North America.
Canadian fan Jean Levesque, who drove from Montreal to Boston to catch the final, said he91裸聊视频檚 never seen the Canada-U.S. rivalry reach this level.
91裸聊视频淭his is different,91裸聊视频� he said outside TD Garden. 91裸聊视频淟ast week in Montreal, they were saying that if ever you shut the power from Hydro-Qu茅bec that powers all the electricity in the province, and plug a wire into the Bell Centre, you91裸聊视频檇 light up the whole province.91裸聊视频�
In Vancouver, people at a watch party couldn91裸聊视频檛 contain their excitement, jumping up and down and waving Canadian flags when Nathan MacKinnon scored to put Canada up 1-0.
The mood shifted from joy to disbelief when the U.S. took a 2-1 lead, as fans held their heads in their hands.
But Sam Bennett eventually equalized for Canada, leading to more hugs and high fives, before McDavid91裸聊视频檚 golden goal allowed a nation to exhale.
The United States has long played second-fiddle to Canada in men91裸聊视频檚 international hockey. Canada also triumphed on U.S. soil with a 5-2 gold-medal win over the Americans at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Crosby91裸聊视频檚 golden goal famously lifted Canada past the U.S. at the 2010 Olympic final in Vancouver.
91裸聊视频淚t wasn91裸聊视频檛 much of a rivalry up until 2010 91裸聊视频� Crosby got us,91裸聊视频� said U.S. fan Chris Leduc, who attended the game in Boston with his son Chase.
Leduc, wearing the U.S. jersey of 1980 Olympic and 91裸聊视频淢iracle On Ice91裸聊视频� hero Mike Eruzione, called Thursday91裸聊视频檚 final 91裸聊视频渢he most anticipated, the most watched and the most talked about hockey game in the last 15 years.91裸聊视频�
The 4 Nations 91裸聊视频� the closest men91裸聊视频檚 hockey has seen to best-on-best since the 2016 World Cup 91裸聊视频� is considered an appetizer for the NHL91裸聊视频檚 return to the Olympics in 2026.
NHL players participated in five Olympics between 1998 and 2014, before missing the 2018 and 2022 Games.
91裸聊视频� With files from Joshua Clipperton in Boston, Nono Shen in Vancouver and Matthew Scace in Calgary.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
