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US hockey star Charlie McAvoy receives praise for big hit on Canada’s Connor McDavid in intense 4 Nations game

The 4 Nations Face-Off matchup between the U.S. and Canada had sports fans everywhere talking about the anthem booing and the three subsequent fights in the first 9 seconds of the game.

Lost in that is what the U.S. had to overcome to win the matchup and advance to the final.

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Connor Hellebuyck, #37 of Team United States, celebrates with Charlie McAvoy, #25, as Brock Faber, #14, looks on after their 3-1 win in the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Canada at Bell Centre on Feb. 15, 2025 in Montreal. (Andre Ringuette/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

Canada’s Connor McDavid opened the scoring soon after when the electricity was at its highest. Canada hoped to steal one and send their fans home happy, but the U.S. looked to reset the tone immediately after, and the Americans believed Charlie McAvoy did just that.

McAvoy put a big hit on McDavid in the first period, and 19 seconds later, Jake Guentzel got the equalizer past Jordan Binnington. Matthew Tkachuk said it was McAvoy’s hit that revitalized the team.

“That also is a message-sending moment — probably one of the plays of the game,” the Florida Panthers star said. “They just scored a goal, the building was rocking and Charlie comes there and pops McDavid, like one of the hardest hits I’ve seen.”

Canada’s Connor McDavid, #97, and Sidney Crosby, #87, talk during the third period of a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game against the United States in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)

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Tkachuk added that McAvoy’s teammates “followed” McAvoy’s aggressiveness afterward.

“That hit Charlie threw on (McDavid) was kind of a game-changer,” U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski said. “He’s been known to do that. He’s great with his size, he’s really good defensively and I thought that was a perfectly timed hit to get our team going in the right direction.”

Dylan Larkin put the U.S. up 2-1 in the second period, and Guentzel later put one in an empty net and the U.S. won the game.

McDavid still held out hope Canada can bounce back and get to the final for a rematch.

“It was fast, tight-checking, competitive, emotional,” he said, via The Athletic. “It had everything you would want in a hockey game. It sucks it didn’t go our way, but this thing’s far from over.”

Canada’s Sidney Crosby, #87, is checked by United States’ Charlie McAvoy, #25, as Vincent Trocheck, #16, looks on during first period 4 Nations Face-Off hockey action in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

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The U.S. will play Sweden and Canada will play Finland in the final games before the championship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
American hockey star Zach Werenski reacts to national anthem boos

The U.S. and Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off matchup on Saturday night quickly became a slugfest as multiple players dropped gloves following boos during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Americans defeated Canada, 3-1, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, but U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski was unhappy with the booing during the national anthem. In the NHL, boos have been heard during the song after Trump announced tariffs on Canada, which have since been paused. The president has also teased Canadians with the idea of Canada becoming the “51st state.”

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Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk, right, celebrates his goal with defenseman Zach Werenski during the Team Finland game at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Feb. 13, 2025. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

Still, the boos have been heard.

“We knew it was going to happen,” Werenski said. “It happened the last game, it’s been happening in the NHL before this, and we knew tonight was going to be the same way. We obviously don’t like it.”

The U.S. faced boos ahead of their game against Finland and later won 6-1.

“It is what it is,” Werenski said. “We kind of had an idea. We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn’t a surprise. Definitely don’t like it, though.”

Saturday’s game saw three fights occur in the first nine seconds.

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Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk of the U.S. fight during their 4 Nations Face-Off game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, his brother Brady tussled with Sam Bennett and J.T. Miller fought Colton Parayko. Brady Tkachuk told ESPN that his brother’s fight “happened pretty organically.”

“Matthew said that he wanted to go first, it just happened and now it’s over and done with,” he said. “It’s right when Matthew found out the starting lineup, he said that he wanted a piece of him (Hagel).”

Hagel added that he thought it was a “long time coming” between him and Matthew Tkachuk.

Conor McDavid started the scoring for Canada but the U.S. answered with a Jake Guentzel goal. Dylan Larkin scored in the second period to take the lead. Guentzel then put in an empty-netter.

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Canada’s Brandon Hagel fights with United States’ Matthew Tkachuk in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP)

“It’s just unbelievable, the atmosphere, to play on this stage in Canada, that was pretty cool for all of us I think,” Guentzel added. “There’s a lot of excitement from our team coming out for warmups and just seeing how packed it was. That was pretty special.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 16, 2025
USA, Canada hockey stars get into numerous fights in opening seconds of 4 Nations rivalry after anthem boos

Three fights commenced in the first nine seconds of the 4 Nations Face Off game between USA and Canada.

At the opening puck drop, USA’s Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel didn’t wait at all to get in on the action in what was a healthy scrap.

But just two seconds later, Matthew’s brother, Brady, went toe-to-toe with Sam Bennett, who is teammates with Matthew in the NHL on the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

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United States’ Brady Tkachuk (top) fights Canada’s Sam Bennett (9) during first period 4 Nations Face-Off hockey action in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

However, that was not enough. After an opening rush into the Canada zone, a scrap involving just about everyone occurred, but J.T. Miller and Colton Parako got into a fight of their own.

It caused plenty of crowding in the penalty boxes, but cooler heads eventually prevailed.

The game is being played in Montreal, so the tensions in the crowd were already high – the “Star-Spangled Banner” was booed loudly despite previous pleas not to do so and “respect” the anthems.

Brandon Hagel #38 of Team Canada reacts after his fight with Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team United States (not in photo) during the first period of the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Canada at Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Andrea Cardin/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

Even NHL exec Bill Daly called it an “unfortunate situation” and hoped it would end – alas.

This is the first time since 2016 that the U.S. and Canada are on the ice in a best-on-best format since 2016 in the World Cup of Hockey, which will return in 2028 after a 12-year hiatus.

Both teams won their first games of the tournament, but the United States is ahead in the standings due to their win coming in regulation; Canada needed overtime to defeat Sweden on Thursday.

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Canada got on the board first, with who else but Connor McDavid lighting the lamp roughly five-and-a-half minutes into the game. Jake Guenztel tied it up a few minutes later.

Connor McDavid #97 of Team Canada celebrates after scoring during the first period of the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Canada at Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Andre Ringuette/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

With a win, the Americans will clinch their spot into the one-game final on Saturday in Boston, which could very well come against this same Canada team.

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February 16, 2025
Canadian hockey fans boo Team USA players, national anthem at 4 Nations tournament in Montreal

The 4 Nations Face-Off began this week in Montreal, and Team USA is public enemy no. 1 up north.

Team USA played its first game of the tournament on Thursday against Finland, a day after Canada defeated Sweden in overtime, and they were across enemy lines to start the tournament.

As the team took the ice, the team was vigorously booed by the crowd, who continued to cheer on Finland all night.

Team USA forward Matt Boldy, #12, celebrates with teammates after a goal against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

The fans also booed the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” despite the public address announcer asking the fans to respect the anthems.

The Canada-USA hockey rivalry is long-lived, but the hostility from Canadian sports fans has grown since President Donald Trump’s threats to issue tariffs on the country and saying Canada could become the “51st state.”

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It is not the first time sports fans in Canada booed the USA’s national anthem since the tariffs were set to begin; Raptors and Senators fans did so earlier this month.

Matt Boldy, #12 of Team United States, celebrates with Jaccob Slavin, #74, Brock Faber, #14, Kyle Connor, #8, and J.T. Miller, #10 of Team United States, after Boldy tip-in a shot for a goal during the second period of the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Finland at Bell Centre on Feb. 13, 2025 in Montreal. (Andrea Cardin/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

Vancouver Canucks announcer John Shorthouse even joked that a penalty would be two-and-a-half minutes because of the 25% tariffs.

The boos did not work long, though. Finland opened up the scoring, but Team USA scored six unanswered goals, including four in the third period, for a 6-1 victory. Brady and Matthew Tkachuk each scored twice.

Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke via phone last week hours before additional 25% tariffs were to take effect on Canadian goods coming into the United States. In a post on X, Trudeau said Canada will implement a $1.3 billion border plan and appoint a fentanyl czar.

Trump has long said Canada and Mexico have failed to do enough to prevent the flow of illegal migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, from those nations into the U.S. In addition, Trump claims the U.S. has subsidized Canada to the tune of $200 billion annually.

Trump had promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on China were set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight.

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Canada and USA will play each other in Montreal on Saturday, and there is a chance the two could play each other for the tournament title when it moves to Boston next week.

Charlie McAvoy, #25, Jake Guentzel, #59, Zach Werenski, #8, Auston Matthews, #34, and Jack Hughes, #86 of Team United States, stand at their blueline during the singing of the United Sates national anthem before the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Finland at Bell Centre on Feb. 13, 2025 in Montreal. (Vitor Munhoz/4NFO/World Cup of Hocky via Getty Images)

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Each country will play each other once before the top two teams will face off next Saturday for the one-game final.

Fox News’ Louis Casano contributed to this report.

February 14, 2025
Washington man faces assault charges after allegedly attacking teen referees during son’s hockey game

A man from Washington state is facing assault charges after he was accused of shoving two teenage referees during his son’s hockey game, which was captured on video by security cameras.

Uriel Isaac Cortes Gonzalez, 42, is facing two counts of misdemeanor assault after police say he attacked two referees, both under the age of 15, in an “unprovoked” incident during a youth hockey game Sunday.

According to court records, officials with the Seattle Police Department received reports of an “irate parent” assaulting two teenage refs at the Kraken Community Iceplex Sunday just before noon.

The scoreboard during a game at Kraken Community Iceplex in Seattle. (Imagn)

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The caller told a dispatcher the man had left before the game ended, but he was later located by police at a traffic light near the complex.

Gonzalez told police he witnessed his son being assaulted by another player from the opposing team during the game, according to arrest records. He alleged his son was “punched and kicked for about thirty seconds, and the referees did nothing to stop the assault.”

He claimed he walked to the ice to break up the fight and that he shoved one referee to get to his son. He also claimed he was unaware the game officials were minors.

Gonzalez told police he was acting in defense of his son, who he claimed was being attacked by an opposing player during the game. (iStock)

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Police reviewed the incident, which was captured by the complex’s security cameras, and found that Gonzalez’s version of the incident was not supported by video evidence.

According to the arrest report, there was no fight going on at the time of the alleged assault. The referees, 13 and 14, told police they had already broken up a fight and had gone over to the box were officials were sitting to document it. At that time, video footage shows Gonzalez approaching them both from behind and shoveing them to the ground.

“There was no fight at the time, and the game was stopped,” police records stated, adding “the assault appeared to be unprovoked.”

Police said video footage proved the attack was “unprovoked.” (iStock)

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The two victims did not appear to have serious injuries and were treated on site. Police arrested Gonzalez, and he was charged Tuesday with two counts of misdemeanor assault.

The Kraken released a statement in response to the incident saying Gonzalez has been banned from the rink.

“The Seattle Kraken and Kraken Community Iceplex strive to foster an environment of just that — community — where everyone can share their love of hockey. The Kraken code posted on the walls at KCI reminds us of that, and our values, every day. There is absolutely no place in hockey, or any sport, for the behavior that occurred on Sunday.

“The Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association and USA Hockey are leading an investigation with the authorities, and we have been assisting them since the incident occurred. The person in question has been banned from our facility.”

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February 13, 2025